^  ) 


THE 

NATIONAL  PASTORALS 

OF  THB 

AMERICAN  HIERARCHY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/nationalpastoralOOcath 


NATIONAL  PASTORALS 

OF  THE 

AMERICAN  HIERARCHY 

(1792 -1919) 


With  a  Foreword \  Notes ,  and  Index 

BY 

REV.  PETER  GUILDAY,  Ph.  D. 


Author  of  "  The  English  Catholic  Refugees  on  the  Continent,” 
"  The  Three  Hours’  Agony  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,” 
"The  Life  and  Times  of  John  Carroll, 

Archbishop  of  Baltimore,”  etc. 


NATIONAL  CATHOLIC  WELFARE  COUNCIL 
131a  MASSACHUSETTS  AVENUE 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


IRibtl  @b*tat 


JOHN  J.  BURKE,  C.S.P. 

Censor  Deputalus 


imprimatur : 


4*  MICHAEL  J.  CURLEY,  D.D. 

Archbishop  of  Baltimore 


Washington,  May  6th,  1Q23 


DEDICATED 

to 

THE  MOST  REVEREND  MICHAEL  JOSEPH  CURLEY,  D.D. 


ARCHBISHOP  OF  BALTIMORE. 


FOREWORD 


THE  thirteen  Pastorals  which  form  the  contents  of  this 
volume  are  the  official  messages  issued  to  the  clergy 
and  the  faithful  of  the  United  States  by  the  Hierarchy  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  Twelve  of  these  Pastorals  were  is¬ 
sued  as  the  result  of  a  conciliar  assembly  of  the  American 
bishops.  It  is  not  an  essential  factor  in  the  proceedings  of 
a  provincial  or  national  council  to  issue  a  Pastoral  Letter, 
or  Charge,  at  the  close  of  its  sessions,  but  the  custom  has 
been  preserved  in  the  American  Church  since  the  First 
National  Synod  of  Baltimore,  held  in  1791.  The  tradition 
was  not  forgotten  in  1919,  when  a  general  meeting  of  the 
bishops  was  held  in  Washington.  This  meeting  was  not 
a  council  in  the  canonical  meaning  of  the  term,  but  the 
assembled  prelates  decided  to  issue  a  Pastoral  Letter  on  the 
great  religious  and  social  problems  of  the  day. 

Once,  under  Bishop  Carroll  in  1792;  seven  times  from 
1829  to  1849,  under  the  metropolitan  jurisdiction  of  the 
See  of  Baltimore;  and  three  times  under  the  Archbishops 
of  that  See  as  Apostolic  Delegates  of  the  Holy  See  for  their 
plenary  sessions — eleven  times  in  all,  the  Catholic  Church 
of  the  United  States  has  assembled  its  leaders  in  solemn 
convocation  for  the  purpose  of  legislating  on  Church  dis¬ 
cipline.  On  each  of  these  occasions,  beginning  with  John 
Carroll  in  1792,  and  ending  with  the  late  Cardinal  Gibbons 
in  1884,  the  American  Hierarchy  has  made  known  in  a 
Pastoral  Letter  the  result  of  its  deliberations  and  decrees 
regarding  the  problems  which  then  demanded  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  our  prelates.  The  twelve  Pastorals  issued  by  these 
eleven  conciliar  assemblies  (two  Pastorals  were  issued  by 
the  Council  of  1829),  together  with  what  is  undoubtedly 
the  most  momentous  of  all  the  messages  from  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Hierarchy,  namely,  the  reconstruction  Pastoral  issued 
by  the  general  meeting  of  the  bishops  at  the  close  of  the 


X 


Foreword 


World  War,  in  1919,  are  in  a  certain  sense  the  living  con¬ 
stitution  of  the  Church  in  this  country.  While  each  of  them 
emphasizes  in  a  special  way  the  moral  and  spiritual  needs 
of  its  own  period,  all  of  them  urge  upon  the  American  peo¬ 
ple,  regardless  of  creed  or  party,  the  practice  of  the  very 
virtues  the  importance  of  which  is  now  so  keenly  realized 
by  those  who  have  at  heart  the  welfare  of  the  nation. 

Two  reasons  prompted  the  publication  of  these  solemn 
messages  from  the  spiritual  leaders  of  the  Church  in  the 
United  States.  The  first  of  these  is  that  there  does  not  exist 
a  complete  set  of  these  National  Pastorals  of  the  American 
Hierarchy.  Printed  copies  of  some  of  the  provincial  Pas¬ 
torals  were  found  in  the  library  of  the  Archbishop’s  House, 
in  Baltimore,  but  the  Pastorals  of  1729  and  of  1829,  were 
found  only  in  the  Catholic  Miscellany,  of  Charleston,  S.  C., 
from  which  they  were  taken.  That  of  the  Second  Provincial 
Council  of  Baltimore  (1833)  is  taken  from  the  Catholic 
Weekly  Register,  of  New  York  City,  for  that  year.  The 
Pastorals  of  1866,  1884,  and  1919  were  originally  published 
with  sectional  captions,  and  in  order  to  keep  the  volume 
uniform,  the  editor  has  added  sectional  headings  to  the 
other  Pastorals.  Apart  from  the  desire  to  preserve  these 
noble  documents  to  posterity,  by  bringing  them  together 
for  the  first  time,  a  second  and  more  important  reason 
actuated  their  publication.  They  contain  not  only  the 
history  of  the  Catholic  faith  in  this  country  from  the  es¬ 
tablishment  of  the  Hierarchy  down  to  the  present  time,  but 
they  offer  a  prudent  and  sagacious  commentary  upon  the 
events  of  the  past  and  upon  the  influences  which  have  at 
various  epochs  affected  the  Catholic  life  of  our  beloved 
country.  Scarcely  a  single  problem  which  exists  today  in 
the  Church  of  the  United  States  has  escaped  the  attention 
of  the  assembled  prelates,  and  in  many  of  these  serious 
reflections  upon  the  critical  situations  that  arose  in  the  past, 
the  present-day  reader  will  find  direction  and  guidance  for 
problems  that,  while  apparently  new,  are  already  solved  in 
these  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy.  The  purpose 
of  the  index  at  the  end  of  the  volume  has  been  to  reveal 
not  only  the  striking  identity  of  most  of  these  problems 
past  and  present,  but  to  enable  the  reader  to  ascertain  with 


Foreword 


xi 


facility  the  advice  as  well  as  the  direction  given  by  the 
bishops  of  these  Councils  to  their  particular  time  and  en¬ 
vironment. 

Ecclesiastical  councils  are  of  four  kinds:  oecumenical 
or  general;  plenary  or  national;  provincial;  and  diocesan. 
Though  the  word  Council  and  Synod  are  synonymous,  the 
term  synod  is  usually  applied  to  the  diocesan  assembly.  A 
general  or  oecumenical  council  of  the  universal  Church  is 
convened  for  extraordinary  occasions,  the  Pope  alone  hav¬ 
ing  the  right  to  summon  such  an  assembly.  Twenty  oecu¬ 
menical  councils  have  been  held  during  the  past  twenty 
centuries.  Only  in  one  of  these  did  American  prelates 
participate,  namely,  in  the  Vatican  Council  of  1869-70. 
With  the  death  of  Cardinal  Gibbons  (March  24,  1921),  the 
last  of  the  American  bishops  and,  indeed,  the  last  of  all  the 
bishops  who  were  there  present,  passed  away.  Plenary 
councils  are  described  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Second  Plenary 
Council  of  Balitmore  (1866)  as  those  which  represent  “sev¬ 
eral  ecclesiastical  provinces — ordinarily  under  one  civil 
Government,  and  therefore  sometimes  called  National.”  A 
National  Council  is  assembled  by  the  express  direction  of 
the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  who  appoints  an  Apostolic  Delegate 
to  preside  over  the  assembly  in  his  name.  Three  National 
or  Plenary  Councils  of  the  American  Church  were  held  in 
Baltimore,  in  1852,  1866,  and  1884.  A  further  delimination 
of  the  Council  is  that  called  Provincial,  that  is,  an  assembly 
composed  of  the  archbishop  and  the  suffragan  bishops  of 
a  province.  Seven  Provincial  Councils  were  held  in  Balti¬ 
more  between  the  years  1829  and  1849.  These  seven  assem¬ 
blies  are  justly  considered  by  American  canonists  as  na¬ 
tional  in  scope  and  in  authority,  since  the  Archbishop  of 
Baltimore  was  the  sole  metropolitan  in  the  United  States 
up  to  1846,  and  was  conceded  quasi-primatial  honors  by  the 
other  prelates.  The  seventh  Provincial  Council  (1849) 
postulated  the  Holy  See  for  this  extraordinary  privilege,  but 
the  Sacred  Congregation  de  Propaganda  Fide  (which  then 
governed  the  Church  of  the  United  States)  postponed  grant¬ 
ing  a  primacy  of  honor  to  the  See  of  Baltimore. 

The  meeting  of  the  American  Hierarchy  at  the  Catholic 
University  of  America,  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  September, 


Xll 


Foreword 


1919,  was  the  first  assembly  in  which  all  the  bishops  of  the 
United  States  participated  since  the  Third  Plenary  Council 
of  Baltimore  (1884).  “Thirty-five  years  have  elapsed,”  we 
read  in  the  Pastoral  they  issued  on  September  26,  1919, 
“since  the  Fathers  of  the  Third  Plenary  Council  of  Balti¬ 
more  addressed  their  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  faithful  of  their 
charge.  In  it  they  expressed  their  deliberate  thought  upon 
the  state  of  religion  at  the  time,  upon  its  needs  and  its 
abundant  resources.  Surveying  the  growth  of  the  Church 
during  a  century,  they  saw  with  thankfulness  the  evident 
design  of  God  in  behalf  of  our  country;  and  turning  to  the 
future,  they  beheld  the  promise  of  a  still  more  fruitful 
development.  With  wise  enactment  and  admonition  they 
imparted  new  vigor  to  our  Catholic  life.  With  a  foresight 
which  we  can  now  appreciate,  they  prepared  the  Church  in 
America  to  meet,  on  the  solid  ground  of  faith  and  discipline, 
the  changing  conditions  of  our  earthly  existence.  .  .  . 
Following  the  example  of  our  predecessors,  and  like  them 
trusting  in  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  lately  took 
counsel  together  for  the  welfare  of  the  Church  and  of  our 
country.  The  whole  Hierarchy  of  the  United  States  as¬ 
sembled  in  Washington  to  consider  the  problems,  the  needs 
and  the  possibilities  for  good  which  invite  us  to  new  un¬ 
dertakings.  In  the  record  of  the  last  three  decades,  we 
found  much  to  console  and  inspire  us.  We  also  knew  well 
that  you  with  whom  and  for  whom  we  have  labored,  would 
rejoice  in  considering  how  abundantly  God  has  blessed  our 
endeavors.  And  we  therefore  determined,  for  His  glory 
and  for  your  comfort,  to  point  out  the  significant  phases 
in  our  progress,  and  to  set  forth  the  truths  which  contain 
the  solution  of  the  world’s  great  problems.” 

The  Pastoral  of  1919  reaches  out  into  realms  that  were 
not  trodden  by  the  prelates  of  former  days;  it  has  been 
justly  praised  by  Catholics  and  non-Catholics  of  this  and 
other  lands;  and  it  must  always  be  reckoned  among  the 
greatest  documents  of  the  reconstruction  crisis  which  fol¬ 
lowed  the  World  War. 

With  these  documents  in  their  possession,  the  clergy 
and  the  faithful  have  a  key  to  the  history  of  the  Catholic 
Church  in  this  country.  They  are,  as  it  were,  mirrors  re- 


Foreword 


•  •  • 
Xlll 

fleeting  the  inner  life  of  the  Church  during  the  hundred  and 
thirty  years  which  has  passed  since  the  establishment  of 
the  Catholic  Hierarchy  here. 

The  volume  is  dedicated  to  Archbishop  Curley,  the  tenth 
in  the  line  of  succession  from  Archbishop  Carroll,  and  now 
feliciter  regnans  over  the  venerable  See  of  Baltimore  which 
has  been  recognized  from  the  beginning  as  the  spiritual 
center  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States. 


Catholic  University  of  America 
November  4,  1922. 


Peter  Guilday. 


i 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Foreword -  1X 

CHAPTER  I 

Bishop  Carroll’s  Pastoral  Letter  of  1792 -  1 

CHAPTER  II 

The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity  of  1829 -  17 

CHAPTER  III 

The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  of  1829- - -  39 

CHAPTER  IV 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 -  60 

CHAPTER  V 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 -  80 

CHAPTER  VI 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 - - -  120 

CHAPTER  VII 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1843 -  150 

CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1846 _  162 

CHAPTER  IX 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1849 _ _  171 

CHAPTER  X 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 _ 181 

CHAPTER  XI 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 _ _ _  197 

CHAPTER  XII 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 _  226 

CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 _  265 


Index 


341 


THE  NATIONAL  PASTORALS 


OF  THE 


AMERICAN  HIERARCHY 

(1792-1919) 


CHAPTER  I 

Bishop  Carroll’s  Pastoral  Letter  (May  28,  1792) 

HE  Pastoral  Letter  of  Bishop  Carroll  is  the  first  document 


1  of  this  nature  in  the  history  of  this  Church  in  the  United 
States.  It  was  begun  shortly  after  the  close  of  the  first  National 
Synod  of  Baltimore  (Nov.  7-10,  1791),  and  was  published  on 
May  28,  1792.  Shea  tells  us  that  it  was  spread  by  the  news¬ 
papers  of  the  day,  was  widely  read  and  genuinely  admired. 
Copies  of  the  printed  document  are  exceedingly  scarce,  and  it  is 
reprinted  here  from  the  Catholic  Miscellany  of  1829. 1  Bishop 
England  gives  as  his  reason  for  publishing  the  Pastoral  the  fact 
that  very  few  copies  existed  at  that  time. 

Among  the  many  disadvantages  the  Catholics  of  that  day 
labored  under,  Dr.  Carroll  chose  for  the  particular  instruction 
of  his  people  the  necessity  of  a  Christian  education  for  the 
young.  To  fill  this  need  and  to  provide  for  their  religious  edu¬ 
cation,  the  College  of  Georgetown,  founded  in  1789,  was  spe¬ 
cially  recommended  to  Catholic  parents.  There  was  no  longer 
any  excuse  for  Catholic  parents  who  could  not  afford  to  send 
their  sons  across  the  ocean  to  be  educated  in  the  Catholic  col¬ 
leges  of  Belgium  and  France,  to  deprive  their  children  of 
Catholic  instruction.  The  other  topics  discussed  in  this  pas¬ 
toral  are:  vocations  to  the  priesthood  and  the  founding  of  St. 
Mary’s  Sulpician  Seminary,  Baltimore;  the  maintenance  of  the 
clergy;  the  financial  support  of  the  Church  in  the  diocese; 
attendance  at  Sunday  Mass;  prayers  for  the  dead;  and  devotion 
to  the  Mother  of  God,  the  Patroness  of  the  diocese.  Dr.  Car- 
roll’s  signature  at  the  end  of  the  Pastoral  caused  an  attack  by 


l  Vol.  IX.,  pp.  297-298. 


2 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


“Liberal”  in  one  of  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  and  Bishop  Car- 
roll  published  a  reply  on  November  21,  1792,  in  which  he  said: 
“The  subject  of  the  contention  is  so  trifling  in  itself,  and  it 
affords  so  much  room  for  ridicule,  that  if  ‘Liberal’  takes  up  his 
pen  again  he  must  appear  with  something  more  material  to 
engage  the  further  attention  of  John,  Bishop  of  Baltimore.” 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1792 

John,  by  Divine  permission  and  with  the  approbation  of  the 
Holy  See,  Bishop  of  Baltimore:  To  my  dearly  beloved 
Brethren,  the  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  this 
Diocess,  Health  and  Blessing,  Grace  to  you  and  peace 
from  God  our  Father,  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

THE  great  extent  of  my  diocess  and  the  necessity  of 
ordering  many  things  concerning  its  government  at 
the  beginning  of  my  episcopacy,  have  not  yet  permitted  me, 
my  dear  brethren,  to  enjoy  the  consolation,  for  which  I 
most  earnestly  pray,  of  seeing  you  all,  and  of  leaving  with 
you,  according  to  the  nature  of  my  duty,  some  words  of 
exhortation,  by  which  you  may  be  strengthened  in  faith, 
and  encouraged  in  the  exercises  of  a  Christian  life.  Es¬ 
teeming  myself  as  a  debtor  to  all,  and  knowing  the  rigorous 
account  which  I  must  render  for  your  souls,  to  the  Shep¬ 
herd  of  Shepherds,  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  I 
shall  have  cause  to  tremble,  while  I  leave  anything  undone, 
by  which  religion  and  true  piety  may  be  promoted,  and  the 
means  of  salvation  multiplied  for  you. 

In  compliance  with  the  obligation,  resulting  from  the 
relation  in  which  I  stand  to  you,  my  endeavours  have  been 
turned  towards  obtaining  and  applying,  for  the  preserva¬ 
tion  and  extension  of  faith  and  for  the  sanctification  of 
souls,  means  calculated  to  produce  lasting  effects,  not  only 
on  the  present,  but  on  future  generations.  I  thought  that 
Almighty  God  would  make  the  ministers  of  His  sanctuary, 
and  myself  particularly,  accountable  to  Him,  if  we  did 
not  avail  ourselves  of  the  liberty  enjoyed  under  our  equi¬ 
table  government  and  just  laws,  to  attempt  establishments, 
in  which  you,  dear  brethren,  may  find  permanent  resources, 
suited  to  your  greatest  exigencies. 


Bishop  Carroll’s  Pastoral  Letter 


3 


Knowing,  therefore,  that  the  principles  instilled  in  the 
course  of  a  Christian  education,  are  generally  preserved 
through  life,  and  that  a  young  man  ac¬ 
cording  to  his  wayt  even  when  he  is  old,  The  Advantages 
he  will  not  depart  from  it,2  I  have  consid-  of  a  Christian 
ered  the  virtuous  and  Christian  instruc-  Education, 
tion  of  youth  as  a  principal  object  of  pas¬ 
toral  solicitude.  Now  who  can  contribute  so  much  to 
lighten  this  burthen,  which  weighs  so  heavy  on  the  shoul¬ 
ders  of  the  pastors  of  souls  and  who  can  have  so  great  an 
interest  and  special  duty  in  the  forming  of  youthful  minds 
to  habits  of  virtue  and  religion,  as  their  parents  themselves? 
Especially  while  their  children  retain  their  native  docility, 
and  their  hearts  are  uncorrupted  by  vice.  How  many  mo¬ 
tives  of  reason  and  religion  require,  that  parents  should 
be  unwearied  in  their  endeavours,  to  inspire  in  them  the 
love  and  fear  of  God;  docility  and  submission  to  His  doc¬ 
trines,  and  a  careful  attention  to  fulfil  His  commandments? 
Fathers — bring  up  your  children  in  the  discipline  and  cor¬ 
rection  of  the  Lord.3  If  all,  to  whom  God  has  given  sons 
and  daughters,  were  assiduous  in  the  discharge  of  this  im¬ 
portant  obligation,  a  foundation  would  be  laid  for,  and 
great  progress  made  in,  the  work  of  establishing  a  prevail¬ 
ing  purity  of  manners.  The  same  habits  of  obedience  to  the 
will  of  God;  the  same  principles  of  a  reverential  love  and 
fear  of  Him;  and  of  continual  respect  for  His  Holy  Name; 
the  same  practices  of  morning  and  evening  prayer;  and  of 
the  frequentation  of  the  sacraments;  the  same  dread  of 
cursing  and  swearing;  of  fraud  and  duplicity;  of  lewdness 
and  drunkenness;  the  same  respectful  and  dutiful  be¬ 
haviour  to  their  fathers  and  mothers;  in  a  word,  the  re¬ 
membrance  and  influence  of  the  parental  counsels  and 
examples  received  in  their  youth,  would  continue  with 
them  during  life.  And  if  ever  the  frailty  of  nature,  or 
worldly  seduction,  should  cause  them  to  offend  God,  they 
would  be  brought  back  again  to  His  service  and  to  true 
repentance  by  the  efficacy  of  the  religious  instruction  re¬ 
ceived  in  their  early  age.  Wherefore,  fathers  and  mothers, 
be  mindful  of  the  words  of  the  Apostles,  and  bring  up  your 

2  Prov.  xxii.  6. 


3  Ephcs.  vi.  4. 


4 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


children  in  the  discipline  and  correction  of  the  Lord.  In 
doing  this,  you  not  only  render  an  acceptable  service  to 
God,  and  acquit  yourselves  of  a  most  important  duty,  but 
you  labour  for  the  preservation  and  increase  of  true  religion, 
for  the  benefit  of  our  common  country,  whose  welfare  de¬ 
pends  on  the  morals  of  its  citizens,  and  for  your  own  happi¬ 
ness  here  as  well  as  hereafter;  since  you  may  be  assured  of 
finding,  in  those  sons  and  daughters  whom  you  shall  train 
up  to  virtue  and  piety,  by  your  instructions  and  examples, 
support  and  consolation  in  sickness  and  old  age.  They 
will  remember  with  gratitude,  and  repay  with  religious 
duty,  your  solicitude  for  them  in  their  infancy  and  youth. 

These  being  the  advantages  of  a  religious  education,  I 
was  solicitous  for  the  attainment  of  a  blessing  so  desirable 

to  that  precious  portion  of  my  flock,  the 
Georgetown  growing  generation.  A  school  has  been 
College.  instituted  at  George-Town,  which  will 
continue  to  be  under  the  superintendence 
and  government  of  some  of  my  reverend  brethren,  that  is, 
of  men  devoted  by  principle  and  profession  to  instruct  all, 
who  resort  to  them,  in  useful  learning,  and  those  of  our 
own  religion,  in  its  principles  and  duties.  I  earnestly  wish, 
dear  brethren,  that  as  many  of  you,  as  are  able,  would  send 
your  sons  to  this  school  of  letters  and  virtue.  I  know  and 
lament,  that  the  expense  will  be  too  great  for  many  fam¬ 
ilies,  and  that  their  children  must  be  deprived  of  the  imme¬ 
diate  benefit  of  this  institution;  but,  indirectly,  they  will 
receive  it;  at  least,  it  may  be  reasonably  expected,  that 
some  after  being  educated  at  George-Town,  and  having  re¬ 
turned  into  their  own  neighbourhood,  will  become,  in  their 
turn,  the  instructors  of  the  youths  who  cannot  be  sent  from 
home;  and,  by  pursuing  the  same  system  of  uniting  much 
attention  to  religion  with  a  solicitude  for  other  improve¬ 
ments,  the  general  result  will  be  a  great  increase  of  piety, 
the  necessary  consequence  of  a  careful  instruction  in  the 
principles  of  faith,  and  Christian  morality. 

The  school,  dear  brethren,  if  aided  by  your  benevolence, 
and  favoured  with  your  confidence,  will  be  the  foun¬ 
dation  of  an  additional  advantage  to  true  religion  in  this 
our  country.  Many  amongst  us  you  have  experienced  in- 


Bishop  Carroll’s  Pastoral  Letter 


5 


convenience  and  disadvantage  from  the  want  of  spiritual 
assistance  in  your  greatest  necessities,  in  sickness,  in 
troubles  of  conscience,  and  counsels  and 
offices  of  the  ministers  of  religion.  It  is  Necessity  of 
notorious  to  you  all,  that  the  present  clergy-  Vocations  to  the 
men  are  insufficient  for  the  exigencies  of  Priesthood, 
the  faithful;  and  that  they  will  be  more 
and  more  so,  as  the  population  of  our  country  increases  so 
rapidly;  unless,  by  the  providence  of  our  good  and  merci¬ 
ful  God,  a  constant  supply  of  zealous  and  able  pastors  can 
be  formed  amongst  ourselves;  that  is,  of  men  accustomed  to 
our  climate,  and  acquainted  with  the  tempers,  manners, 
and  government  of  the  people,  to  whom  they  are  to  dis¬ 
pense  the  ministry  of  salvation.  Now,  may  we  not  reason¬ 
ably  hope,  that  one  of  the  effects  of  a  virtuous  course  of 
education  will  be  the  preparing  of  the  minds  of  some, 
whom  providence  may  select,  to  receive  and  cherish  a  call 
from  God  to  an  ecclesiastical  state? 

Should  such  be  the  designs  of  infinite  mercy  on  this 
portion  of  His  flock,  all  of  us,  dear  brethren,  will  have  new 
cause  to  return  God  thanks  for  having  con¬ 
ducted  to  our  assistance  a  number  of  The  Sulpician 
learned  and  exemplary  clergymen,  de-  Fathers, 
voted  by  choice,  and  formed  by  experience 
to  the  important  function  of  training  young  Ecclesiastics 
to  all  the  duties  of  the  ministry.  This  essential  service  is 
already  begun  by  these  my  respectable  brethren.  An  eccle¬ 
siastical  seminary,  under  their  immediate  direction,  and 
episcopal  superintendence,  has  entered  on  the  important 
function  of  raising  pastors  for  your  future  consolation  and 
improvement;  and  I  cannot  forbear  recommending  their 
undertaking  to  your  patronage,  and  what  a  benefit  will  they 
confer  on  this  and  future  generations,  who  shall  contribute 
to  endow  it  with  some  portion  of  those  goods,  which  them¬ 
selves  have  received  from  a  benevolent  providence,  and 
for  the  use  of  which  they  must  account  to  Him,  from  whom 
they  received  them?  What  a  consolation  will  it  be  to  them 
in  this  life,  and  a  source  of  happiness  in  the  next,  if,  through 
their  benefactions,  the  seminary  be  enabled  not  only  to 
support  its  directors  and  professors,  but  likewise  some 


6 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


young  men,  candidates  for  holy  orders,  whose  virtues  and 
abilities  may  be  far  superior  to  their  worldly  fortunes?  By 
endowments,  such  as  I  now  recommend,  great  services  have 
been  rendered  to  religion  and  morality.  If  donations  for 
objects  of  piety  have  ever  been  excessive,  as  some  have 
pretended,  the  particular  one  now  recommended  to  your 
charity,  and  the  temper  of  our  times  and  laws,  leave  no 
cause  to  apprehend  the  renewal  of  such  an  abuse. 

Other  objects,  besides  those  already  mentioned,  claim 
>  our  common  solicitude.  It  will  be  of  little  use  to  prepare 

ministers  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  if 
Maintenance  of  afterwards  they  cannot  be  employed,  for 
the  Clergy.  want  of  necessary  maintenance,  in  the 

laborious  discharge  of  pastoral  functions. 
Whilst  the  offices  of  our  religion  were  performed  only  in 
two  of  the  United  States,  and  even  in  them,  the  number 
of  Catholics  was  much  less  than  at  present,  fewer  labourers 
were  wanted;  and  there  were  funds  sufficient  for  their  sub- 
sistance,  independent  of  any  contributions  from  the  justice 
or  the  charity  of  the  respective  congregations.  But  our 
holy  faith  being  now  spread  through  other  States,  and  the 
number  of  Catholics  being  much  increased  in  those,  where 
it  existed  before,  it  is  become  absolutely  necessary  to  recur 
to  the  means  of  supporting  public  worship  and  instruction, 
which  are  prescribed  not  only  by  natural  equity,  but  like¬ 
wise  by  the  positive  ordinances  of  divine  wisdom,  both  in 
the  Jewish  and  gospel  dispensations.  Know  you  not ,  says 
St.  Paul,4  that  they  who  work  in  the  holy  place  .  .  .  and 
they  that  serve  the  altar,  partake  with  the  altar?  So  also 
the  Lord  ordained  that  they  who  preach  the  gospel,  should 
live  by  the  Gospel. 

In  obedience  to  this  divine  ordinance,  primitive  Chris¬ 
tians,  when  they  went  to  the  celebration  of  the  sacred  offices 
of  religion,  presented  their  offerings  on  the  altar  of  the 
Lord,  signifying  by  this  act,  that  they  were  not  intended  so 
much  for  their  pastors,  as  consecrated  to  God  Himself.  And, 
indeed,  the  Church  regarded  them  in  this  light;  and  de¬ 
creed  in  her  canons,  that  the  religious  oblations  of  the 
faithful  should  be  employed,  first,  for  the  maintenance  of 


4 1  Cor.  ix.  13,  14. 


Bishop  Carroll’s  Pastoral  Letter 


7 


the  ministers  of  the  sanctuary;  which  being  provided  for, 
the  remainder  should  be  applied  towards  the  relief  of  the 
poor,  and  the  building  and  repairing  of  churches  and  places 
of  worship,  necessary  for  public  convenience,  and  the  de¬ 
cent  ordering  of  divine  service. 

God  has  made  it  our  duty  to  join  in  the  solemn  rites  of 
sacrifice  and  prayer,  and  in  receiving  the  sacraments  in¬ 
stituted  for  our  benefit  and  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  our  souls  in  piety  and  grace.  The  The  Support 
administration  of  these  requires  men  set  of  the  Church, 
apart  for  and  consecrated  to  so  sacred  a 
function;  men  not  assuming  of  themselves,  but  receiving 
their  authority  from  God,  through  His  church,  and  their 
succession  from  the  Apostles,  through  the  Bishops,  by 
whom  they  are  ordained.  Now  it  is  evident,  that  since  these 
are  acts  of  religion,  He  requires  likewise,  that  all  should 
use  the  necessary  means  for  acquitting  themselves  of  that 
obligation;  and  consequently,  that  each  one  bear  his  pro¬ 
portion  of  common  and  necessary  expense  for  the  support 
of  public  worship.  This  duty  has  been  insisted  on  so  little 
amongst  us,  as  long  as  the  assistance  of  the  faithful  was 
unnecessary  for  the  maintenance  of  their  pastors,  that  many 
will  often  do  without  pastors;  of  course  they  become  remiss 
in  their  religious  duties,  and  finally  regardless  of  them. 
Their  offspring,  uninstructed  and  ignorant  of  the  principles 
of  faith,  are  led  astray  by  false  doctrines,  and  seduced  by 
corrupt  examples.  Hence,  likewise,  churches  for  the  cele¬ 
bration  of  divine  service,  and  the  great  Eucharistic  sacrifice 
of  the  law  of  grace,  are  not  built  at  all,  or  are  suffered  to 
fall  into  decay. 

They  are  without  chalices,  without  the  decent  and  neces¬ 
sary  furniture  of  the  altars,  without  vestments  suited  to  the 
different  services  of  the  Church,  in  a  word,  without  those 
sacred  utensils,  which  its  ordinances  require,  and  which 
contribute  to  impress  the  mind  with  a  becoming  sense  of 
the  majesty  of  religion,  and  conciliate  respect  for  its  august 
ceremonies.  Hence,  finally,  results  the  great  evil,  and  the 
source  of  many  disorders,  that,  by  failing  to  make  provision 
for  the  necessary  support  of  pastors,  and  the  maintenance 
of  public  worship,  you  fail  likewise  of  fulfilling  the  obliga- 


8 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


tion  of  being  present  at  Mass  on  every  Sunday  and  holiday; 
you  lose  the  opportunity  of  receiving  necessary  and  salu¬ 
tary  instruction;  and,  finally,  an  habitual  disregard  for  the 
sanctification  of  the  Lord’s  day,  and  for  the  exercise  of 
prayer  and  religion  becomes  prevalent. 

In  this  matter,  I  recommend  earnestly  to  you,  my  dear 
brethren,  not  to  be  too  indulgent  to  yourselves,  in  forming 

principles,  which  indeed  may  satisfy  an 
Attendance  at  erroneous  conscience,  and  suit  your  attach- 
Sunday  Mass,  ment  to  your  case,  and  your  worldly  in¬ 
terest;  but  cannot  afford  you  a  reasonable 
assurance  of  having  fulfilled  your  necessary  and  essential 
duty  to  Almighty  God.  Every  inconvenience  is  not  suffi¬ 
cient  to  exempt  you  from  the  obligation  from  attending  at 
Mass  on  Sundays  and  other  days  prescribed  by  the  Church. 
The  obstacle  must  be  grievous  and  weighty,  amounting  al¬ 
most  to  an  impossibility,  moral  or  physical.  Has  such  an 
obstacle  or  inconvenience  existed  with  respect  to  all  those, 
who  hear  Mass,  perhaps  not  more  than  once  a  month,  or 
seldomer?  Are  there  not  congregations,  where  now  divine 
service  is  performed  only  once  a  month,  which  are  fully 
competent  to  the  expense  of  keeping  a  clergyman  to  reside 
amidst  them,  and  to  administer  to  them  continually  in  all 
holy  things?  To  offer  every  day  for  them,  and  in  the 
presence  of  some  at  least  of  them  the  great  sacrifice  of  the 
law  of  grace?  To  teach,  to  admonish  and  reprove  them? 
To  instruct  their  children  and  servants  in  the  doctrines  and 
exercises  of  religion?  And  thus  to  make  lighter  the  bur¬ 
then,  which  rests  on  parents  and  heads  of  families?  To 
watch  perpetually  over  the  morals  of  all,  and  prevent  the 
contagion  of  error  or  evil  example?  To  be  ready,  and  have 
at  hand,  to  administer  to  all,  in  times  of  sickness,  the  spir¬ 
itual  succours  committed  to  his  dispensation?  I  cannot, 
dear  brethren,  enumerate  the  advantages,  which  will  result 
from  so  desirable  a  situation,  as  that  of  having  constantly 
amongst  you,  your  pastor  and  spiritual  guide;  and  I  exhort 
you  with  great  earnestness  to  use  much  industry,  and  with 
thankfulness  to  Almighty  God,  for  the  temporal  blessings 
received  from  His  hand,  generously  to  devote  a  part  of 
them  to  the  obtaining  a  benefit,  from  which  such  important 


Bishop  Carroll’s  Pastoral  Letter 


9 


consequences  will  be  derived.  The  sacrifice  of  property, 
which  you  make,  for  a  purpose  so  useful  and  religious,  is 
a  kind  of  restitution  to  Him,  Who  first  gave  it  to  you;  and, 
besides  being  an  act  of  the  virtue  of  religion,  because  it  is 
suggested  by  the  desire  of  encouraging  and  supporting  di¬ 
vine  worship,  it  is  moreover  an  act  of  exalted  charity 
towards  the  poor  and  ignorant,  who  will  be  enabled  to  ob¬ 
tain  essential  instruction  and  relief  in  all  their  spiritual 
necessities,  through  the  means  and  contributions  of  the  rich 
and  middle  classes  of  life;  and  these  will  thus  become  par¬ 
takers  in  the  merit  and  rewards  promised  in  these  words 
of  the  prophet  Daniel,  that  they  that  instruct  many  to  jus¬ 
tice,  [shall  shine]  as  stars  for  all  eternity.5 

I  will  venture  to  add,  that  even  with  respect  to  this 
world,  you  will  find  it  to  be  no  loss  to  concur  towards  the 
regular  support  of  the  ministry,  and  services  of  religion. 
Habits  of  temperance  and  frugality  are  generally  the  effects 
of  evangelical  instruction.  The  lessons  and  duty  of  in¬ 
dustry  are  frequently  inculcated  by  virtuous  and  careful 
pastors.  Your  children  and  servants  will  be  admonished 
perpetually  to  shun  idleness,  dishonesty,  dissipations,  and 
that  train  of  expense  which  always  follows  them.  These, 
by  their  effect  on  domestic  economy,  will  make  abundant 
compensation  for  the  charges  in  support  of  religion.  Be¬ 
sides,  you  have  a  divine  promise,  that  God  will  use  a  more 
special  providence  for  your  subsistence,  when  you  make  it 

your  first  care,  to  fulfil  His  holy  law:  Seek . first  the 

kingdom  of  God,  and  His  justice,  and  all  these  things  shall 
be  added  unto  you5 

Amongst  all  obstructions  to  the  due  celebration  of  divine 
service,  and  the  regular  attendance  on  the  sacred  functions 
of  religion,  this  backwardness  of  the  faithful  to  contribute 
for  its  support  is  one  of  the  greatest,  as  was  generally  agreed 
and  represented  by  my  venerable  brethren,  the  clergy  of  the 
Diocess,  in  a  synod  held  some  months  ago.  When  I  con¬ 
voked  them,  I  formed  some  statutes  of  general  concern, 
which  will  be  communicated  to  you,  and  amongst  them  are 
the  following,  relative  to  the  matter,  of  which  I  have  just 
now  treated,  and  enforcing  the  same  observations: 


5  Chap.  xii.  3. 


«  Matt.  vi.  33. 


10 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


Statutes  of  the  Diocesan  Synod,  held  at  Baltimore,  from  the 
7th  to  the  10th  day  of  November,  1791. 

Statute  V.  That  the  Holy  Eucharistic  Sacrifice  may  be 
celebrated  with  all  reverence  and  becoming  respect,  and 
that  the  faithful  may  be  excited  more  and  more  to  a  lively 
devotion  towards  this  singular  pledge  of  divine  mercy,  it 
is  decreed,  that  the  congregations  be  reminded  frequently, 
how  disrespectful  it  is,  that  anything  used  for  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  should  be  of  the  meanest  materials,  or  not  kept 
cleanly  and  entire,  and  that  suitable  vessels  and  utensils 
for  the  altar,  as  chalices,  ciboriums,  and  cruets;  decent 
vestments  and  linen  for  the  ministry  of  the  altar,  wax 
candles  and  wine  fit  for  Mass  be  not  provided.  Let  the 
Christian  people  be  told,  with  how  minute  attention  God 
Himself  was  pleased  to  ordain  everything  relating  to  His 
service  in  the  Jewish  law  and  temple.  How  much  more 
care  therefore  should  Christians  use,  for  the  decency  of 
divine  worship,  since  they  possess,  not  the  shadow  of 
future  blessings,  as  the  Jews,  but  the  substance  and  reality 
of  them!  Let  them  be  admonished  likewise  of  the  offer¬ 
ings  made  by  primitive  Christians  at  the  time  of  Mass;  and 
let  them  know  that  such  must  be  very  regardless  of  the 
honour  of  God,  as  refuse  or  neglect  to  contribute  for  those 
things,  without  which  the  functions  of  religion  seem  to 
lose  their  dignity  and  authority;  and  the  devotion  and  ven¬ 
eration  for  the  Blessed  Eucharist  is  greatly  diminished. 

VI.  It  is  decreed,  therefore,  that  in  every  congregation, 
two  or  three  persons  of  approved  virtue  and  respectability 
be  chosen  by  the  congregation,  or  appointed  by  the  pastor, 
to  be  Church-wardens  or  guardians;  and  that  the  persons 
so  appointed,  on  Sundays  and  other  festivals,  after  the 
reading  of  the  1st  gospel  at  Mass,  or  after  the  sermon, 
shall  collect  the  offerings  of  the  faithful. 

VII.  The  offerings,  according  to  the  practice  of  the 
church,  are  to  be  divided  into  three  parts;  so  that  one  be 
applied  to  the  maintenance  of  the  pastor;  another  to  the 
relief  of  the  poor;  and  a  third  to  the  procuring  of  all  things 
requisite  for  divine  worship,  and  for  building  and  repair¬ 
ing  the  church.  But  if  provision  be  made  otherwise  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  pastor  and  the  poor,  all  offerings 
are  to  be  appropriated  to  the  fabric  of  the  church,  or  to 
furnishing  it  with  proper  utensils  and  ornaments  for  the 
more  dignified  celebration  of  divine  worship. 

VIII.  The  offerings  made  by  the  faithful,  to  render  God 
propitious  to  themselves  or  others,  through  the  efficacy  of 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  Mass,  should  be  accepted  by  the  min¬ 
isters  of  the  altar  in  such  manner,  as  to  afford  no  room  for 


Bishop  Carroll’s  Pastoral  Letter 


11 


suspicions  of  avarice  or  simony;  let  them  be  contented, 
therefore,  with  such  an  acknowledgment  of  their  services  as 
cannot  be  burthensome  to  the  bestowers  of  it;  nor  yet  so 
insignificant,  as  to  render  the  priestly  ministry  despicable 
in  the  opinion  of  inconsiderate  men. 

XXIII.  The  number  of  Catholics  having  increased,  and 
being  dispersed  through  the  different  States,  and  at  great 
distances  from  each  other,  it  is  become  necessary  to  have 
likewise  a  greater  number  of  spiritual  labourers;  but  these 
cannot  be  brought  from  foreign  countries  or  maintained, 
unless  the  faithful  concur  towards  bearing  that  expense, 
as  they  are  bound  by  the  law  of  God,  and  according  to  the 
testimony  of  St.  Paul,  who  says,  if  we  have  sown  unto  you 
spiritual  things ,  is  it  a  great  matter  if  we  reap  your  carnal 
things V  The  faithful  therefore  are  to  be  reminded  often 
of  this  duty,  with  which,  if  they  neglect  to  comply,  they 
will  omit,  through  their  own  fault,  hearing  Mass  on  Sun¬ 
days  and  festivals,  and  receiving  the  Sacraments  at  those 
seasons,  in  which  they  need  them  most,  the  seasons  of  sick¬ 
ness,  of  Easter;  and  when  through  the  prevalence  of  sin¬ 
ful  passions,  or  long  habits  of  vice  a  speedy  reconciliation 
with  God  becomes  indispensably  necessary.  Wherefore, 
as  long  as  they  refuse  to  contribute  for  the  ministry  of  sal¬ 
vation,  according  to  the  measure  of  worldly  fortune  given 
to  them  by  a  beneficent  God,  and  thus  violate  the  divine 
and  ecclesiastical  laws,  they  are  to  know  that  they  are  in  a 
state  of  sin,  unworthy  of  obtaining  forgiveness  in  the 
tribunal  of  confession;  and  that  they  will  be  answerable 
to  God,  not  only  for  their  own  non-compliance  with  duties 
so  sacred,  but  likewise  for  the  ignorance  and  vices  of  the 
poor  people,  who  remain  destitute  of  Christian  instruction 
on  account  of  the  sordid  avarice  of  those,  who  are  more 
favoured  with  the  gifts  of  fortune.  To  begin  then,  in  this 
Diocess,  that  which  is  practised  in  other  Christian  coun¬ 
tries,  the  preceding  regulations  were  formed,  relative  to 
the  oblations  of  the  faithful;  and  others  will  be  added 
hereafter.” 

I  trust,  that  you,  my  dear  brethren,  will  consider  these 
statutes  with  the  same  candour  and  in  the  same  spirit  in 
which  they  were  formed.  It  was  not  in  the  spirit  of  avarice, 
but  of  real  solicitude  for  the  preservation  of  faith,  and  for 
your  increase  in  godliness  and  heavenly  knowledge.  They 
were  suggested  by  the  desire  of  seeing  you  assisted,  with 
the  same  means  of  salvation,  as  your  Catholic  brethren  in 
all  other  countries;  and  with  the  hope,  that  you  would  use 

7  1  Cor.  ix.  11. 


12 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


the  same  endeavours  as  they  to  appropriate  to  yourselves 
the  blessings  of  a  regular  instruction,  and  uninterrupted 
ministration  of  divine  worship.  To  accomplish  this  salu¬ 
tary  purpose  more  effectually,  and  render  more  certain 
the  subsistence  of  the  ministers  of  religion,  they  are  directed 
to  require  at  marriages,  burials  and  funeral  services,  a  cer¬ 
tain  very  moderate  compensation,  to  which  they,  whom  God 
has  blessed  with  abundance,  may  add  according  to  their 
benevolence;  and  which  my  reverend  brethren  are  hereby 
charged  not  to  require  from  those,  to  whom,  on  account  of 
their  great  poverty,  any  compensation  would  be  burthen- 
some. 

On  this  occasion,  I  cannot  forbear  mentioning  an  abuse, 
or  rather  a  prevalent  neglect  and  indifference  with  respect 

to  your  departed  parents  and  relations. 

Prayers  for  When  death  has  removed  them  from  your 

the  Dead.  sight,  you  seem  to  forget  that  doctrine  of 

your  divine  religion  which  ought  to  call 
forth  all  your  tenderness:  I  mean  the  doctrine,  that  it  is 
a  holy  and  wholesome  thought  to  pray  for  the  dead ,  that 
they  may  be  loosed  from  sins.8  How  different  is  your 
behaviour,  when  such  events  happen,  from  that  of  your 
Catholic  brethren  all  over  the  world?  Their  sensibility  is 
not  confined  to  the  unprofitable  tears  and  lamentations  of 
a  few  days,  their  faith  follows  their  deceased  friends  into 
the  mansions  of  another  life,  and  enkindles  all  their  charity. 
They  procure  prayers  and  sacrifices  to  be  offered  to  God  for 
the  repose  of  their  souls.  The  exercises  of  charity  to  the 
poor,  and  all  the  works  of  mercy  and  religion  are  employed 
for  their  relief,  as  long  as  there  remains  a  reasonable 
ground  to  fear,  that  they  may  want  it.  Thus  St.  Augustine 
testified  his  sensibility,  after  the  death  of  his  holy  mother 
Monica;  thus,  as  Tertullian,  St.  Cyprian,  and  other  primitive 
fathers  teach  us,  children  expressed  their  duty  and  vener¬ 
ation  for  their  parents;  and  surviving  Christian  spouses  for 
them,  to  whom  they  had  been  united  by  the  ties  and  duties 
of  a  virtuous  marriage. 

When  it  pleases  God  to  call  your  friends  out  of  this 
world,  do  you,  my  dear  brethren,  give  such  proofs  of  your 


8  2  Mac.  xii.  46. 


Bishop  Carroll’s  Pastoral  Letter 


13 


affection  for  them?  You  attend  them  to  the  grave;  you  shed 
over  it  a  few  tears;  and  there  is  the  term  of  your  care  and 
solicitude.  If  a  charitable  priest  offer  up  to  the  throne  of 
mercy,  for  their  sake,  the  blood  of  the  lamb  of  God,  who 
takes  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  he  does  it,  generally  un¬ 
solicited  and  unthanked  by  you.  You  make  no  sacrifices  of 
interest  or  enjoyments  to  charity  and  religion,  that  the  de¬ 
ceased  may  find  speedy  mercy,  and  an  anticipated  enjoy¬ 
ment  of  everlasting  bliss.  I  earnestly  beseech  you,  to  de¬ 
serve  no  longer  this  reproach  on  your  charity  and  sensi¬ 
bility.  Follow  your  departed  brethren  into  the  regions  of 
eternity,  with  your  prayers,  and  all  the  assistance,  which 
is  suggested  by  the  principles  of  faith  and  piety.  Let  the 
great  sacrifice  of  propitiation  be  offered  for  all,  who  die  in 
the  unity  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  in  due  submission  to 
her  wholesome  precepts.  Where  it  is  possible,  let  a  funeral 
service  be  performed:  and  I  recommend  it  strongly  to  the 
pastors  of  all  congregations,  and  to  the  faithful  themselves, 
to  promote  the  forming  of  pious  associations,  whose  special 
object  shall  be,  to  bestow  on  the  dead,  and  especially  on 
those  who  die  poor  and  friendless,  the  best  offices  of  re¬ 
ligion,  that  is,  to  procure  for  them  a  decent  interment,  ac¬ 
companied  with  the  prayers  and  sacred  rites  ordained  by 
the  church. 

In  this,  my  address  to  you,  my  dear  brethren,  I  have 
been  chiefly  solicitous  to  recommend  to  your  attention 
those  things  which  will  be  of  general  ad¬ 
vantage  to  the  preservation  and  increase  Devotion  to  the 
of  true  religion.  I  have  no  doubt,  but  that  Mother  of  God. 
your  immediate  pastors  will  give  you  cau¬ 
tion  frequently  against  the  prevailing  and  most  dangerous 
vices;  and  will  instruct  you,  how  to  walk  in  the  observance 
of  all  Christian  duties.  I  shall  only  add  this  my  earnest 
request,  that  to  the  exercise  of  the  sublimest  virtues,  faith, 
hope  and  charity,  you  will  join  a  fervent  and  well  regu¬ 
lated  devotion  to  the  Holy  Mother  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ;  that  you  will  place  great  confidence  in  Her 
intercession;  and  have  recourse  to  Her  in  all  your  necessi¬ 
ties.  Having  chosen  Her  the  special  patroness  of  this 
Diocess,  you  are  placed,  of  course,  under  Her  powerful  pro- 


14 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


tection;  and  it  becomes  your  duty  to  be  careful  to  deserve 
its  continuance  by  a  zealous  imitation  of  Her  virtues,  and 
reliance  on  Her  motherly  superintendence. 

The  Sunday  immediately  following  the  feast  of  Her  glor¬ 
ious  assumption  into  heaven;  or  the  feast  itself,  whenever  it 

happens  to  fall  on  a  Sunday,  is  to  be  cele- 
The  Pastoral  brated  as  a  principal  solemnity  of  this  Dio- 
Feast  of  the  cess;  on  which  we  are  to  unite  with  one 
Diocese.  heart,  and  in  one  earnest  supplication  to 
the  father  of  all  mercies,  and  the  giver  of 
every  good  gift,  through  the  intercession  of  the  Blessed  Vir¬ 
gin,  that  He  may  be  graciously  pleased  to  preserve,  increase, 
and  diffuse  a  sincere  and  well-grounded  attachment  to  the 
principles  of  our  holy  religion;  to  advert  from  us  the  seduc¬ 
tion  of  error  and  pestilential  infidelity;  to  awake  and  renew 
in  us  the  spirit  of  solid  piety,  and  of  watchfulness  over  our 
unruly  passions;  to  animate  us  to  the  fulfilling  of  all  the 
commandments;  to  pour  down  on  our  country  blessings  spir¬ 
itual  and  temporal;  and  to  receive  our  grateful  and  humble 
thanks  for  the  innumerable  favours,  which  we  continually 
receive  from  a  bountiful  providence. 

That  these  acts  of  religion  may  be  more  acceptable,  by 
being  offered  with  purified  hearts,  I  earnestly  exhort  and 
recommend  to  all,  who  shall  join  in  the  celebration  of  this 
great  festival,  to  expiate  their  offences  by  sincere  com¬ 
punction  in  the  sacrament  of  penance,  and  to  enrich  their 
souls  by  those  abundant  graces,  which  are  annexed  to  a 
worthy  participation  of  Christ’s  body  and  blood.  I  have 
solicited,  for  your  sake,  my  dear  brethren,  from  the  Holy 
See,  special  spiritual  favours,  for  this  solemnity;  and  have 
no  doubt,  but  the  fatherly  solicitude,  which  his  holiness, 
the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  has  always  shown  hitherto  for 
your  improvement  in  every  Christian  virtue,  will  induce 
him  to  grant  the  favours  requested;  of  which  in  due  time 
you  shall  receive  proper  notice. 

What  may  not  be  hoped,  if  to  other  means  of  salvation, 
such  as  are  always  to  be  found  in  the  salutary  institutions 
of  the  Church,  you  will  add,  every  year,  this  likewise,  that 
is  now  suggested?  If  you  recur  to  God,  the  fountain  of 
mercy  and  grace,  through  the  intercession  of  the  Queen  of 


Bishop  Carroll’s  Pastoral  Letter 


15 


Angels?  If  you  honour  Her  greatest  festival  with  peculiar 
and  fervent  exercises  of  piety,  and  with  a  determined  will 
of  making  the  precepts  of  the  gospel  the  rule  of  your  lives? 
The  Church  bears  Her  this  honourable  testimony,  that  it 
is  often  owing  to  Her  patronage,  that  nations  preserve  or 
recover  the  integrity  of  Christian  faith  and  morality.  Let 
this  be  exemplified  in  our  own  country.  4  Walk  worthy  of 
the  vocation  in  which  you  are  called .9  Give  no  cause  of  its 
being  said  of  any  one  of  you:  thou,  that  makest  the  boast 
of  the  law,  by  transgression  of  the  law  dishonourest  God.10 
On  the  contrary,  endeavour  continually,  that  you  may  de¬ 
clare  His  virtues,  who  has  called  you  out  of  the  darkness 
into  His  marvellous  light;11  that  they,  among  whom  is  your 
conversation — considering  you  by  your  good  works,  may 
give  glory  to  God  in  the  day  of  visitation.  For  this  cause 
1  bow  my  knees  to  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ,. 


. that  He  would  grant  you  according  to  the  riches 

of  His  glory . that  Christ  may  dwell  by  faith  in  your 

hearts;  that  being  rooted  and  founded  in  charity,  you  may 
be  able . to  know  also  the  charity  of  Christ,  which 


surpasseth  knowledge,  that  you  may  be  fdled  unto  all  the  ful¬ 
ness  of  God.  Now  to  Him,  who  is  able  to  do  all  things  more 
abundantly  than  we  desire  or  understand  .  ...  to  Him  be 
glory  in  the  church,  and  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  all  genera¬ 
tions,  world  without  end.  Amen. 

HhJoHN,  Bishop  of  Baltimore. 

Baltimore,  May  28,  1792. 

Bishop  Carroll  had  already  experienced  considerable  trouble 
with  the  trustees  of  the  Catholic  congregations  in  Philadelphia 
and  Baltimore,  when  this  Pastoral  was  written.  During  the 
next  five  years  the  evils  of  trusteeism  increased,  and  in  1797,  he 
wrote  a  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Congregation  of  Trinity  Church , 
in  Philadelphia,  in  which  he  dealt  with  this  issue  between 
unruly  priests  and  laity  and  espiscopal  authority.  The  Pas¬ 
toral  of  1797  is  a  scarce  document  today.  It  is  not  included  in 
this  collection,  however,  since  it  is  confined  to  one  locality, 
albeit  the  message  was  to  the  Church  at  large  in  the  diocese 
then  coterminous  with  the  Republic.  None  realized  so  keenly 


9  Eph.  iv.  1. 


10  Rom.  ii.  23. 


ii  1  Peter  ii.  9. 


16 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


as  Carroll  the  increasing  difficulty  of  ruling  this  great  territory. 
At  his  request  the  Holy  See,  in  1808,  divided  the  United  States 
into  five  dioceses — Baltimore,  which  became  an  archdiocese, 
Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Bardstown.  The  bishops 
appointed  to  the  new  Sees  were  consecrated  at  Baltimore  be¬ 
tween  October  28  and  November  4,  1810.  These  prelates  re¬ 
mained  for  several  weeks  in  consultation  with  Archbishop  Car- 
roll,  and  before  separating  for  their  respective  dioceses,  they 
drew  up  an  Agreement  for  the  unification  of  Catholic  discipline 
in  the  United  States.  This  Agreement  forms,  with  the  Synodal 
Acts  of  1791,  the  earliest  code  of  canon  law  in  the  American 
Church.  The  result  of  their  deliberations  was  published  in  a 
Pastoral,  dated  November  15,  1810.  This  document  is  not  in¬ 
cluded  in  this  collection,  because  it  is  mainly  a  restatement 
of  the  decrees  of  1791.  The  Bishops  of  Philadelphia,  Boston 
and  Bardstown  whose  names,  with  those  of  Carroll  and  Neale, 
are  appended  to  the  document,  state  that  “they  reserved  to  a 
future  occasion  a  general  review  of  the  ecclesiastical  discipline 
now  observed  throughout  the  different  dioceses,  and  the  re¬ 
ducing  of  it  everywhere  to  as  strict  conformity  with  that  of  the 
universal  Church,  as  our  peculiar  situation,  circumstances  and 
general  benefit  of  the  faithful  will  allow.” 

A  generation  was  to  pass  before  this  promise  was  fulfilled. 
Between  1810  and  the  convocation  of  the  First  Provincial  Coun¬ 
cil  of  Baltimore  in  1829,  there  is  one  ecclesiastical  document 
which  is  so  exceptional  in  its  contents  that  it  approaches  na¬ 
tional  importance — Archbishop  Marechal’s  Pastoral  Letter  to 
the  Roman  Catholics  of  Norfolk,  Virginia,  dated  September 
28,  1819.  This  document  is  likewise  very  scarce  today,  but 
since  it  deals  with  a  particular  situation,  it  is  not  included  in 
this  collection. 


CHAPTER  II 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity  (1829) 

IT  would  take  us  too  far  from  the  main  purpose  of  this  volume 
to  discuss  the  reasons  for  the  long  delay  (1810-1829)  before 
Archbishop  Whitfield  convoked  the  First  Provincial  Council 
of  Baltimore.  The  consultations  of  the  five  bishops  at  Balti¬ 
more  in  November,  1810,  were  concluded  with  the  decision  to 
hold  a  National  Council  two  years  later.  Bishop  Cheverus  of 
Boston  objected  so  strongly  to  the  meeting  that  Archbishop 
Carroll  reluctantly  agreed  to  postpone  it.  The  future  Cardinal- 
Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  did  not  see  why  the  bishops  should  take 
the  long  and,  at  the  time,  rather  arduous  journey  to  Batimore 
to  settle  questions  which,  as  he  wrote,  “the  professors  at  the 
Seminary  could  just  as  easily  decide.”  Two  years  later,  when 
Bishop  Egan,  of  Philadelphia,  died  (July  22,  1814),  the  war 
was  on,  and  the  last  illness  of  Archbishop  Carroll  prevented 
any  assembly  of  the  prelates.  It  would  seem  from  even  a  cur¬ 
sory  reading  of  the  unpublished  sources  for  the  next  decade 
that  Archbishop  Marshal  saw  no  necessity  of  convoking  a 
national  assembly  of  the  bishops.  No  member  of  the  American 
hierarchy  of  that  period  was  more  impressed  with  the  need  of 
such  a  council  than  John  England,  Bishop  of  Charleston  (1820- 
1842).  By  every  means  in  his  power  he  strove  to  prove  to  his 
colleagues  in  the  episcopacy  the  need  of  creating  a  uniform 
system  of  discipline  in  the  American  Church.  The  Holy  See 
was  likewise  so  minded,  but  it  was  not  until  after  Marshal's 
death  (June  28,  1828),  that  the  first  Provincial  Council  was 
called.  In  December  of  that  year,  Archbishop  Whitfield  con¬ 
voked  the  Council  to  meet  in  Baltimore  during  the  following 
October.  On  the  last  day  of  September,  1829,  the  seven  prel¬ 
ates  who  composed  the  Council  met  at  the  Archbishop's  house, 
and  the  sessions  lasted  from  that  date  until  October  the  eigh¬ 
teenth.  Among  the  causes  which  required  the  attention  of  the 
Fathers  were:  the  disorganized  state  of  affairs  in  some  of  the 
dioceses,  where  episcopal  authority  was  then  being  set  at 
naught  by  troublesome  clerics  and  laymen;  the  grave  problem 
of  foreign  interference  in  nominations  to  vacant  sees  in  the 


18 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


United  States;  the  importance  of  a  more  direct  and  authentic 
communication  of  the  Church  affairs  here  with  the  Holy  See; 
the  erection  of  new  dioceses  which  would  be  in  conformity  with 
the  geographical  and  political  divisions  of  the  country;  and  the 
redress  of  the  grievances  which  had  multipied  as  the  result  of 
the  lack  of  a  uniform  Church  discipline.  The  great  changes 
which  had  taken  place  in  the  Church  here  between  1791  and 
1829  are  eloquently  sketched  in  the  letter  sent  by  the  Fathers  of 
the  Council  to  Pope  Pius  VIII,  on  October  24,  1829:  “Not  two 
centuries  have  elapsed  since,  in  a  remote  and  obscure  corner 
of  Maryland,  a  little  band  of  Catholics,  guided  by  a  few  mis¬ 
sionaries,  exiles  from  their  native  land,  flying  from  the  cruel 
persecution  inflicted  on  them  for  adhering  to  the  faith  of  their 
forefathers,  laid  the  foundation  of  this  American  Church.  It 
is  scarcely  forty  years  since  this  body  of  the  faithful  in  the 
United  States  of  America  was  found  sufficient  to  demand,  in 
the  opinion  of  the  sovereign  pontiff,  the  erection  of  the  first 
episcopal  see  of  Baltimore.  Not  twenty  years  have  rolled  by 
since  a  decree  of  the  holy  pontiff,  Pius  VII,  exalted  the  church 
of  Baltimore  to  the  dignity  and  rights  of  a  metropolitan;  and, 
like  a  joyful  mother  of  children,  she  has  beheld  in  recently 
erected  suffragan  dioceses,  quickened  by  a  heaven-bestowed 
fruitfulness,  an  offspring  in  new  churches  which  she  has  borne 
to  Christ.  We  see  so  many  blessings  bestowed  by  God  on  these 
rising  churches,  such  increase  given  to  this  vineyard,  that  those 
who  planted  and  those  who  watered,  and  those  who  harvested 
and  tread  the  overflowing  wine-press,  are  compelled  to  confess 
and  admire  wholly  the  finger  of  God.  The  number  of  the  faith¬ 
ful  increases  daily;  churches  not  unworthy  of  divine  worship 
are  everywhere  erected;  the  Word  of  God  is  preached  every¬ 
where,  and  not  without  fruit;  the  hatred  and  prejudice  spread 
against  the  church  and  faithful  vanish;  holy  religion,  once  de¬ 
spised  and  held  in  contempt,  receives  honour  from  her  very  ene¬ 
mies;  the  priests  of  Christ  are  venerated  even  by  those  without; 
the  truth  and  divinity  of  our  faith  is  proclaimed  and  vindicated 
from  the  calumny  of  heresy  and  unbelief,  not  only  in  churches 
and  from  pulpits,  but  from  the  press  in  widely  scattered  period¬ 
icals  and  books.  Six  ecclesiastical  seminaries,  the  hope  of  our 
churches,  have  already  been  established,  and  are  governed  in 
holy  discipline  by  pious  and  learned  priests;  nine  colleges 
under  ecclesiastical  control  have  been  erected  in  different  States 
to  train  boys  and  young  men  in  piety,  arts,  and  higher  branches 
of  science;  three  of  these  have  been  chartered  as  universities 
by  the  legislatures;  thirty-three  monasteries  and  houses  of  re- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


19 


ligious  women  of  different  orders  and  congregations — Ursul- 
ines,  Visitandines,  Carmelites,  Sacred  Heart,  Sisters  of  Charity, 
Loretto,  etc. — are  everywhere  established  in  our  dioceses, 
whence  emanate  not  only  the  observance  of  the  evangelical 
counsels  and  the  exercise  of  all  other  virtues,  but  the  good 
order  of  Christ  in  the  pious  training  of  innumerable  girls; 
houses  of  religious  of  the  Order  of  Preachers  and  the  Society 
of  Jesus,  of  secular  priests  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Mission 
and  of  St.  Sulpice,  from  which,  as  centres,  priests  are  sent  out 
to  missions;  many  schools  where  the  poor  of  both  sexes  are 
taught  gratuitously;  hospitals  carried  on  by  religious  women, 
who  daily  give  signs  of  heroic  charity,  to  the  great  benefit  of 
souls  and  of  religion.  These,  Most  Holy  Father,  are  the  signal 
benefits  which  God  has  bestowed  upon  us  in  a  few  years.” 

The  decrees  of  the  First  Provincial  Council  were  thirty- 
eight  in  number,  and  the  salient  features  of  the  legislation 
passed  by  the  Fathers  concerned  the  reorganization  of  clerical 
discipline,  the  abolition  of  trusteeism,  in  the  discussion  of 
which  Roger  Taney,  afterwards  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  took  an  important  part,  and  the 
necessity  of  founding  a  Catholic  parochial  school  system. 

Two  Pastoral  Letters  were  issued  by  the  First  Provincial 
Council  of  1829:  one  to  the  laity,  and  another  to  the  clergy,  of 
the  United  States.  The  Pastoral  to  the  laity  was  written  by 
Bishop  England,  and  was  printed  in  English  and  French.  No 
copy  of  the  English  version  was  found  and  the  following  re¬ 
print  is  taken  from  the  Catholic  Miscellany  of  1829. 1 

The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 

(First  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore) 

The  Archbishops  and  other  prelates  in  Provincial  Council 
at  Baltimore  to  their  children  in  Christ,  the  Laity  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America 
Health  and  blessing:  Grace  to  you,  and  peace  from 
God  our  Father,  and  Lord  Jesus  Christ ,  in  the  unity  of 
the  Holy  Ghost, 

ASSEMBLED  to  consult  for  the  welfare  of  that  portion  of 
the  Church  entrusted  to  our  care,  we  have,  after  mature 
deliberation  with  several  learned  and  pious  priests,  made 

l  Vol.  IX,  pp.  145-148. 


20 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


ordinances,  which  to  us  seemed  necessary  for  the  regulation 
of  the  clergy,  the  administration  of  the  Sacraments  and 
other  Ecclesiastical  concerns.  These  we  have  transmitted 
for  examination  to  the  See  at  Rome,  in  order  that  we  might 
not  in  any  way  swerve  from  that  unity  which  has  been  es¬ 
tablished  by  the  great  Pastor  of  our  souls,  who  collected 
his  faithful  children  into  one  flock,  under  one  shepherd. 
But  we  cannot  separate  without  addressing  you  in  the  sin¬ 
cerity  of  affection. 

When  we  look  around  us  and  behold  how,  within  a  few 
years,  our  churches  have  multiplied  and  our  numbers  in¬ 
creased,  we  feel  deeply  grateful  to  Him 

The  Growth  who,  being  able  “from  the  very  stones  to 
of  the  Church,  rise  up  children  of  Abraham,”  has  allured 

them  to  the  paths  of  salvation.  From  the 
East  and  the  West  strangers  have  come  to  sit  down  at  our 
table,  and  our  hearts  have  rejoiced  at  this  return  of  the 
children  to  that  parent  from  whom  they  had  been  too  long 
estranged.  The  far  greater  number  of  those  who  have  thus 
been  clasped  in  the  warm  embrace  of  tender  and  gratified 
affection,  have  edified  us  by  their  virtue;  several  have  thus 
made  a  suitable  return  for  the  talent  entrusted  to  their 
care.  It  has  added  to  our  satisfaction  to  have  observed  that, 
owing  to  our  admirable  civil  and  political  institutions,  those 
results  of  conscientious  conviction  have  produced  scarcely 
any  temporal  inconvenience;  that  they  have  seldom  snapped 
or  ever  strained  the  bonds  of  Charity.  Rejoice  with  us, 
therefore,  and  give  thanks  to  the  Lord  who  has  vouchsafed 
this  gladness  to  our  hearts. 

The  vast  tide  of  emigration  which  has  rolled  across  the 
Atlantic  during  the  half  century  just  elapsed,  together  with 
the  natural  growth  of  a  prosperous  people  under  free  in¬ 
stitutions,  with  an  ample  territory  and  varied  soil,  in  almost 
every  climate,  has  swelled  our  population  to  an  extraordi¬ 
nary  extent,  and  our  flock  has  necessarily  participated  in 
the  increase.  Large  acquisitions  of  territory  which  has 
been  occupied  by  Catholic  nations,  were  made  to  the  south 
and  the  west,  and  thousands  have  thus  become  incorporated 
with  our  ecclesiastical  body. 

When  our  first  See  was  erected  our  venerable  prede- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


21 


cessor  found  himself  at  the  head  of  a  sparse  and  extended 
population,  with  a  very  insufficient  number  of  assistants 
in  the  ministry.  The  zeal  of  those  good  men  was  ardent, 
their  virtues  were  conspicuous,  and  their  labours  were  op¬ 
pressive.  Combining  the  energy,  the  poverty  and  the  self- 
denial  of  the  Apostles,  they  sometimes  were  spread  abroad 
in  the  wilderness,  bearing  the  bread  of  life,  as  well  as  to 
the  remote  pioneer  of  civilization,  as  to  that  child  of  the 
forest,  who  yet  adhered  to  the  lessons  of  his  first  mission¬ 
ary;  sometimes  in  the  cities,  in  the  towns  and  villages,  they 
were  found  endeavouring  to  organize  and  to  perpetuate  the 
congregations  which  had  been  previously  formed,  to  edu¬ 
cate  the  youth,  to  direct  the  adult,  to  counsel  the  doubtful, 
to  confirm  the  wavering,  to  console  the  afflicted,  to  sustain 
the  firm,  and  despising  the  evanescent  enjoyments  or  fol¬ 
lies  of  the  world,  they  were  found  with  tender  and  absorb¬ 
ing  interest,  in  the  regions  of  pestilence,  by  the  side  of  their 
dying  children,  cheering  the  soul  which  nature  taught  to 
shudder  at  the  portal  of  death,  even  though  it  led  to  the 
vestibule  of  Heaven.  Admirable  men!  What  an  example 
for  their  successors?  “In  the  sight  of  the  unwise  they 
seemed  to  die,  and  their  departure  was  taken  for  misery, 
and  their  going  away  from  us,  utter  destruction:  but  they 
are  in  peace.”  In  their  day  also  the  sword  of  the  persecutor 
had  been  unsheathed,  and  even  when,  by  the  energy  of  the 
nation  it  was  stricken  from  his  hand,  their  name  continued 
to  be  as  a  word  of  reproach,  and  they  had  much  obloquy 
to  endure.  “In  the  sight  of  men  they  suffered  torments, 
but  now  their  hope  is  full  of  immortality:  afflicted  in  a  few 
things,”  we  trust,  “they  are  well  rewarded;  because  God 
tried  them  and  found  them  worthy  of  Himself.” 

If  therefore,  in  the  vast  regions  we  inhabit,  we  have  to 
deplore  the  defection  of  millions  from  the  faith  of  their 
fathers,  which  is  also  yours  and  ours,  let  it 
not  be  imagined  that  the  memory  of  those  Losses, 
good  men  is  lessened  in  our  esteem:  they 
exerted  their  powers  to  the  utmost,  but  they  were  too  few 
for  the  extent  of  the  field;  and  far  removed  from  their 
ministry  or  influence,  thousands  of  those  who  vainly  sought 
their  aid  in  conveying  to  them  those  “waters  that  spring 


22 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


up  to  eternal  life,”  wearied  and  disappointed,  “dug  cisterns 
for  themselves,”  or  had  recourse  to  those  which  men  had 
dug,  and  their  children,  and  their  childrens’  children  now 
forget  the  rock  from  which  their  progenitors  have  been 
separated. 

The  convulsions  of  Europe,  however  disastrous  to  itself, 
have  not  been  without  advantage  to  us.  When  the  extermi¬ 
nating  infidel  went  forth  like  to  him  who 
Gains.  sat  upon  the  pale  horse  of  the  Apocalypse, 
Hell  followed  in  his  train,  and  because  of 
the  power  that  was  given  to  him  to  kill  with  the  sword,  with 
famine,  and  the  plague,  many  were  slain  for  the  word  of 
God,  and  the  testimony  which  they  held,  whilst  their 
brethren  who  were  saved  for  a  little  time,  were  scattered 
to  the  four  winds  of  Heaven  through  various  regions  of  the 
earth.  Whilst  they  bowed  in  humble  resignation  to  the 
wise,  but  mysterious  dispensations  of  Providence,  they  felt 
that  though  in  all  things  they  suffered  tribulation,  they 
were  not  distressed;  though  straightened  they  were  not  des¬ 
titute;  though  suffering  persecution,  they  were  not  forsaken; 
though  cast  down,  they  did  not  perish;  but  always  bearing 
about  in  their  bodies  the  dying  of  Jesus,  the  life  of  Jesus  was 
also  made  manifest  in  their  bodies.  By  their  example  rather 
than  by  their  words,  by  their  utility  rather  than  by  their 
worldly  exhibition,  numbers  of  them  in  our  States,  as  else¬ 
where,  preached  not  themselves,  but  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord, 
and  exhibited  themselves  your  servants  through  Jesus,  for 
God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness, 
hath  shined  in  their  hearts  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  glory  of  God  unto  you.  Thus  was  our  ministry 
upheld  and  extended;  thus  were  our  seminaries  of  educa¬ 
tion  founded  and  improved;  and  thus  were  raised  up  among 
us  several  of  our  most  useful  priests  and  promising  aspir¬ 
ants.  As  our  congregations  have  in  a  great  measure  been 
hitherto  an  emigrant  population,  so  has  our  ministry  been 
to  a  considerable  extent  composed  of  adopted  citizens.  But 
the  children  of  the  former,  and  the  successors  of  the  latter 
have  for  some  time  past  assumed  more  of  our  native  char¬ 
acter,  and  must  necessarily  become  chiefly,  if  not  altogether 
national,  henceforth. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


23 


During  the  whole  period  of  our  pastoral  charge  we  have 
felt  the  utmost  want  of  a  sufficient  ministry:  from  every 
quarter  our  children  call  to  us  for  the  bread 
of  life,  and  we  have  not  a  sufficient  number  The  Need  of 
of  those  to  whom  we  could  entrust  its  Priests, 
breaking;  already  the  fields  are  white  for 
the  harvest,  and  we  have  not  a  proper  supply  of  labourers, 
the  vintage  has  ripened,  and  its  clusters  are  decaying.  It 
is  absolutely  necessary  that  by  your  exertions,  we  should 
take  the  proper  steps  for  remedying  this  deficiency.  Though 
we  have  been  frequently  aided  by  excellent  clergymen  from 
abroad,  we  cannot  expect  that  other  countries  will  continue 
their  generosity  in  permitting  the  most  meritorious  subjects 
to  withdraw  from  their  own  service  to  our  advantage;  nor 
are  the  situations  which  we  could  offer  them,  so  secure  or 
so  advantageous  as  such  men  might  find  at  home.  Neither 
would  you  desire,  nor  are  we  disposed  any  longer  to  per¬ 
mit,  that  priests  who  have  been  elsewhere  held  in  disrepute, 
shall  be  received  into  our  churches,  to  create  schisms,  to  en¬ 
courage  strife,  to  perpetuate  abuses,  and  to  disseminate 
scandal;  to  degrade  that  which  is  holy,  and  to  bring  upon  a 
religion  that  has  emanated  from  God,  that  obloquy  which 
belongs  only  to  the  vices  that  have  been  found  in  the  individ¬ 
ual  man.  Beloved  children,  we  have  endured  much  afflic¬ 
tion  on  this  score,  having  been  forced  by  our  necessities 
to  dispense  with  much  of  that  scrutiny  and  caution  which 
our  canons  have  enjoined.  With  you  it  rests  to  support  us; 
by  furnishing  the  means  for  educating  proper  candidates 
under  our  own  inspection,  that  we  may  secure  the  benefits 
of  religion  to  you  and  to  your  descendants. 

We  feel  gratitude  to  our  benefactors,  and  take  some 
reproach  to  our  province,  in  stating  to  you  the  fact,  that 
almost  each  of  us  has  received,  for  this  purpose,  consider¬ 
able  aid  from  a  benevolent  society  in  France,  whilst  our 
own  flocks  have  as  yet  done  so  little  for  so  important  a 
purpose.  Permit  us  to  arouse  you  to  exertion  on  this  head. 
How  shall  your  remote  and  destitute  fellow-Catholics  be 
attended?  How  shall  the  increasing  wants  of  our  increas¬ 
ing  people  be  met,  if  you  do  not  powerfully  aid  us  in  the 
creation  and  maintenance  of  our  seminaries?  Call  to  mind 


24 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


what  you  have  so  generously  done  for  your  brethren  of  the 
Faith  in  Ireland;  we  ask  whether  you  could  not  make 
similar  exertions  for  yourselves  and  your  own  descendants? 

From  this  topic  we  naturally  pass  to  that  of  the  educa¬ 
tion  of  your  children.  How  important,  how  interesting,  how 

awful,  how  responsible  a  charge  I  “Suffer 
Christian  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid 
Education.  them  not”  says  the  amiable  Jesus,  “for  of 

such  is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven.”  Yes!  the 
characteristic  of  the  child,  as  St.  John  Chrysostom  well  ob¬ 
serves,  is  the  characteristic  of  the  saint.  Genuine  simplic¬ 
ity  without  guile,  uncalculating  ardent  devotion  to  the  lov¬ 
ing  parent,  preferring  an  humble  mother  in  her  homely 
garb,  to  a  queen  in  her  variegated  decoration;  exercising 
an  irresistible  power  over  the  parental  heart  by  the  bewitch¬ 
ing  confidence  of  helplessness  itself.  Those  children,  the 
dear  pledges  of  your  elevated  and  sanctified  affection,  de¬ 
serve  and  demand  your  utmost  solicitude.  For  them  you 
brave  danger,  on  their  account  you  endure  toil;  you  weep 
over  their  afflictions,  you  rejoice  at  their  gratification,  you 
look  forward  to  their  prosperity,  you  anticipate  their  grati¬ 
tude,  your  souls  are  knit  to  theirs,  your  happiness  is  cen¬ 
tred  in  their  good  conduct;  and  you  cherish  the  enlightening 
hope  that  when  you  and  they  shall  have  passed  through  this 
vale  of  tears,  you  will  be  reunited  in  the  kingdom  of  a  com¬ 
mon  father.  How  would  your  hearts  be  torn  with  grief  did 
you  foresee,  that  through  eternity  those  objects  of  all  your 
best  feelings  should  be  cast  into  outward  darkness,  where 
there  is  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth!  May  God  in  His 
infinite  mercy  preserve  you  and  them  from  the  just  antici¬ 
pation  of  any  such  result!  But,  dearly  beloved,  this  is  too 
frequently  the  necessary  consequence  of  a  neglected  or  an 
improper  education.  God  has  made  you  the  guardians  of 
those  children  to  lead  them  to  His  service  upon  earth,  that 
they  might  become  saints  in  Heaven.  “What  will  it  avail 
them  to  gain  the  whole  world  if  they  lose  their  souls?”  Or 
could  it  console  you  in  the  progress  of  eternity  to  recollect 
that  you  had  for  a  time  beheld  them  elevated  to  power,  ap¬ 
plauded  by  fame,  entrusted  with  command,  swaying  na¬ 
tions,  dispensing  wealth  and  honours;  but  misled  by  vice 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


25 


and  now  tortured  in  disgrace;  and,  thus  to  be  tortured  for 
eternity?  If  you  would  avert  this  dreadful  calamity,  at¬ 
tend  to  the  education  of  your  child;  teaching  him  first  to 
seek  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  justice,  and  having  food 
and  raiment  to  be  therewith  content.  Teach  him  to  be 
industrious,  to  be  frugal,  to  be  humble  and  fully  resigned 
to  the  will  of  that  God  who  feeds  the  birds  of  the  air,  clothes 
the  lily  of  the  field;  and  who  so  loved  the  children  of  men 
that  when  they  were  His  enemies  they  were  reconciled  to 
him  by  the  death  of  His  Son,  that  being  reconciled  they 
might  be  saved  from  eternal  death  by  His  life  being  justi¬ 
fied  now  by  His  blood. 

Alas !  beloved  children,  how  many  are  there,  who,  yield¬ 
ing  to  the  pride  of  life,  and  ashamed  of  Him  who  was  not 
ashamed  for  our  sakes  to  die  upon  an  ignominious  cross, 
“being  made  the  reproach  of  men  and  the  outcast  of  the 
people,”  how  many  such  wretched  parents  have  trained 
up  their  children  to  be  themselves  the  victims  of  passions 
in  time,  and  of  that  death  from  which  there  is  no  resurrec¬ 
tion  in  eternity! 

How  frequently  have  their  brightest  hopes  faded  away 
into  a  settled  gloom?  How  often  has  the  foot  which  they 
elevated,  spurned  them?  How  often  whilst  the  children 
of  revelry  occupied  the  hall  of  mirth,  has  the  drink  of  the 
wretched  parent  been  mingled  with  his  tears,  and  whilst 
his  ungrateful  offspring,  regardless  of  his  admonition,  rose 
in  the  careless  triumph  of  enjoyment,  have  his  gray  hairs 
been  brought  with  sorrow  to  the  grave?  Believe  us;  it  is 
only  by  the  religious  education  of  your  children  that  you 
can  so  train  them  up,  as  to  ensure  that,  by  their  filial  piety 
and  their  steady  virtue,  they  may  be  to  you  the  staff  of  your 
old  age,  the  source  of  your  consolation,  and  reward  in  a 
better  world.  Begin  with  them  in  their  earliest  childhood, 
whilst  the  mind  is  yet  pure  and  docile,  and  their  baptismal 
innocence  uncontaminated;  let  their  unfolding  perceptions 
be  imbued  with  the  mild  and  lovely  tints  of  religious  truth 
and  pure  devotion;  allure  them  to  the  service  of  their 
creator  who  delights  in  the  homage  of  innocence;  and  give 
to  their  reason,  as  it  becomes  developed,  that  substantial 
nutriment  which  it  requires,  and  which  our  holy  religion  so 


26 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


abundantly  affords;  shew  your  children  by  your  conduct, 
that  you  believe  what  you  inculcate;  natural  affection  dis¬ 
poses  them  to  imitate  your  example,  you  should,  therefore, 
be  awfully  impressed  by  that  solemn  admonition  of  the 
Saviour:  “Woe  to  him  that  shall  scandalize  one  of  these 
little  ones  that  believe  in  me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a 
millstone  were  tied  round  his  neck,  and  that  he  were 
drowned  in  the  depths  of  the  sea.”  In  placing  them  at 
school,  seek  for  those  teachers  who  will  cultivate  the  seed 
which  you  have  sown;  for  of  what  avail  will  it  be,  that 
you  have  done  so  much,  if  the  germs  which  begin  to  put 
forth,  shall  now  be  stifled  or  eradicated;  and  should  tares 
be  sown  where  you  had  prepared  the  soil?  Again,  and 
again,  would  we  impress  upon  your  minds  the  extreme  im¬ 
portance  of  this  great  duty,  and  your  responsibility  to  the 
God  of  truth,  in  its  regard.  How  well  would  it  be,  if  your 
means  and  opportunities  permitted,  were  you  at  this  period 
to  commit  your  children  to  the  care  of  those  whom  we  have 
for  their  special  fitness,  placed  over  our  seminaries  and 
our  female  religious  institutions?  It  would  be  at  once  the 
best  mode  of  discharging  your  obligations  to  your  children, 
and  of  aiding  us  in  promoting  the  great  object  which  we 
have  already  endeavoured  to  impress  upon  your  minds. 
Remember  also,  that  not  only  affection,  but,  duty  requires  of 
you  to  be  vigilant  in  securing  the  spiritual  concerns  of  your 
offspring,  during  the  period  of  their  preparation  for  busi¬ 
ness  or  for  professions;  that  this  security  can,  in  general, 
be  far  better  attained  under  the  parent’s  roof;  or  if  it  be 
necessary  to  entrust  the  sacred  deposit  of  your  child’s  soul 
to  another,  it  ought  to  be  one  of  tried  virtue,  and  surrounded 
by  favourable  circumstances.  Should  your  family  be  thus 
educated,  you  may  naturally  expect  that  they  will  freely 
allow  your  just  influence  in  that  most  important  of  all 
temporal  concerns,  the  selection  of  a  wife  or  husband;  and 
it  becomes  you,  whilst  you  pay  a  proper  respect  to  the  af¬ 
fections  of  those  most  deeply  interested,  to  be  careful  that 
you  have  more  regard  to  those  things  which  belong  to  eter¬ 
nity,  than  to  those  of  a  mere  transient  nature.  What  we 
have  written  might  appear  importunate.  But  remember  we 
watch  over  you  in  order  to  render  unto  God  an  account 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


27 


of  your  souls;  therefore,  it  is  that  we  write  these  things  to 
you,  to  admonish  you  as  our  dearest  children,  “to  confirm 
your  hearts  without  blame,  in  holiness,  before  God  and  our 
father,”  because  you  are  our  joy  and  our  crown,  and  there¬ 
fore,  we  labour,  whether  absent  or  present,  for  your  ad¬ 
vantage,  in  the  word  of  truth,  in  the  power  of  God;  through 
honour  and  dishonour,  through  infamy  and  good  name, 
our  mouth  is  open  to  you,  our  heart  is  enlarged;  great  is 
our  confidence  in  you,  we  are  consoled  by  your  joy,  we  are 
saddened  by  your  sorrow,  we  write,  not  as  commanding, 
but  as  entreating  our  children  in  whom  we  confide. 

Amongst  the  various  misfortunes  to  which  we  have  been 
exposed,  one  of  the  greatest  is  misrepresentation  of  the 
tenets,  the  principles  and  the  practices  of 
our  church.  This  is  not  the  place  to  ac-  Attacks  on 
count  for  the  origin  and  continuance  of  the  Faith, 
this  evil;  we  merely  remind  you  of  the 
melancholy  fact.  Good  men, — men,  otherwise  well  in¬ 
formed,  deeply  versed  in  science,  in  history,  in  politics; 
men  who  have  improved  their  education  by  their  travels 
abroad  as  well  as  they  who  have  merely  acquired  the  very 
rudiments  of  knowledge  at  home;  the  virtuous  women  who 
influence  that  society  which  they  decorate,  and  yielding  to 
the  benevolence  of  their  hearts  desire  to  extend  useful 
knowledge;  the  public  press,  the  very  bench  of  public  jus¬ 
tice,  have  been  all  influenced  by  extraordinary  efforts  di¬ 
rected  against  us;  so  that  from  the  very  highest  place  in 
our  land  to  all  its  remotest  borders,  we  are  exhibited  as 
what  we  are  not,  and  charged  with  maintaining  what  we 
detest.  Repetition  has  given  to  those  statements  a  sem¬ 
blance  of  evidence;  and  groundless  assertions  remaining 
almost  uncontradicted,  wear  the  appearance  of  admitted 
and  irrefragable  truth.  It  is  true,  that  during  some  years 
past,  an  effort  has  been  made  to  uphold  a  periodical  pub¬ 
lication  in  the  south,  which  has  refuted  some  of  those  al¬ 
legations;  but  we  say  with  regret  that  it  has  been  permitted 
to  languish  for  want  of  ordinary  support,  and  must,  we  are 
informed,  be  discontinued,  unless  it  receives  your  more 
extended  patronage.  Other  publications  for  similar  objects 
have  lately  been  established  in  Boston  and  Hartford.  We 


28  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

would  advise  you  to  encourage  well-conducted  works  of 
this  description.  If  you  look  around  and  see  how  many 
such  are  maintained,  for  their  own  purposes,  by  our  sep¬ 
arated  brethren,  it  will  indeed  be  a  matter  of  reproach 
should  we  not  uphold  at  least  a  few  of  our  own. 

But  not  only  are  the  misrepresentations  of  which  we 
complain,  propagated  so  as  to  affect  the  mature;  but  with 
zeal  worthy  of  a  better  cause,  and  which  some  persons  have 
exhibited  in  contrast  with  our  seeming  apathy,  the  mind 
of  the  very  infant  is  predisposed  against  us  by  the  recitals 
of  the  nursery;  and  the  school-boy  can  scarcely  find  a  book 
in  which  some  one  or  more  of  our  institutions  or  practices 
is  not  exhibited  far  otherwise  than  it  really  is,  and  greatly 
to  our  disadvantage:  the  entire  system  of  education  is  thus 
tinged  throughout  its  whole  course;  and  history  itself  has 
been  distorted  to  our  serious  injury.  We  have  during  a 
long  time  been  oppressed  by  this  evil,  and  from  a  variety 
of  causes,  have  found  it  almost  impossible  to  apply  any 
remedy;  but  we  have  deemed  it  expedient  now  to  make 
some  effort  towards  a  beginning.  We  have  therefore  asso¬ 
ciated  ourselves  and  some  others,  whom  we  deem  well 
qualified  for  that  object,  to  encourage  the  publication  of 
elementary  books  free  from  any  of  those  false  colourings, 
and  in  which  whilst  our  own  feelings  are  protected,  those 
of  our  fellow-citizens  of  other  religious  denominations 
shall  be  respected.  We  should  desire  also  to  see  other  his¬ 
tories  corrected,  as  that  of  England  has  been  by  the  judi¬ 
cious  and  erudite  Doctor  Lingard;  that  our  standard  books 
should  be  carefully  and  faithfully  printed  under  proper 
supervision,  and  even  that  temperate  and  useful  explana¬ 
tory  essays  to  exhibit  and  vindicate  truth,  should  be  writ¬ 
ten  without  harsh  or  unkind  expressions,  and  published,  so 
that  our  brethren  might  have  better  opportunities  of  know¬ 
ing  us  as  we  really  are,  and  not  imagine  us  to  be  what  in 
bad  times,  unprincipled  and  interested  men  have  exhibited 
as  our  picture. 

One  of  the  most  precious  legacies  bequeathed  to  us  by 
the  Apostles  and  Evangelists  is  the  sacred  volume  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  which,  having  been  written  under  divine 
inspiration,  is  profitable  for  the  pastor,  who  is  a  man  of 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


29 


God,  to  teach,  to  reprove,  to  correct,  to  instruct  unto  justice; 
for  much  of  the  revelation  of  God  is  contained  therein;  it 
is  also  profitable  when  used  with  due  care, 
and  an  humble  and  docile  spirit,  for  the  Holy 
edification  and  instruction  of  the  faithful;  Scripture, 
but  it  must  not  be  had  recourse  to,  for 
the  purpose  of  raising  “vain  questions  and  strifes  of 
words  from  which  arise  envies,  contentions,  blasphemies, 
evil  suspicions,  conflicts  of  men  corrupted  in  mind 
and  who  are  destitute  of  the  truth,  esteeming  gain  to  be 
piety;”  neither  should  it  be  approached  with  arrogant  self- 
sufficiency,  for  it  contains  “some  things  hard  to  be  under¬ 
stood,  which  the  unlearned  and  unstable  wrest  to  their 
own  perdition.  You  therefore  knowing  these  things  be¬ 
fore,  beware  lest  being  led  away  by  error  of  the  unwise 
you  fall  from  your  own  steadfastness.”  When  in  the  mo¬ 
ments  of  leisure  and  reflection  you  take  up  the  sacred  book, 
be  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  you  then  converse 
with  God  himself;  commence  therefore  by  prayer,  to  obtain 
that  it  may  be  to  you  a  lamp  to  guide  your  feet  in  safety 
through  the  shades  of  this  valley  of  death.  We  cannot  give 
to  you  a  better  rule  than  that  of  the  holy  council  of  Trent, 
where  it  informs  us  “that  the  divine  writings  are  to  be 
understood  in  that  sense,  which  our  holy  mother  the  church, 
to  which  alone  it  belongs  to  judge  of  the  true  sense 
and  interpretation  of  the  scriptures,  has  always  held  and 
does  hold;  and  that  we  should  never  take  and  interpret 
them  otherwise  than  according  to  the  unanimous  consent 
of  the  fathers.”  And  dearly  beloved  children,  the  word 
of  God  being  unalterable  truth,  cannot  vary  its  meaning 
with  the  fluctuating  opinions  of  men.  The  heavens  and 
the  earth  may  pass  away,  but  the  word  of  God  remains  the 
same,  “Jesus  Christ  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever  the 
same.”  The  Apostles,  who  were  the  first  fathers,  received 
the  explanations  of  his  doctrines  from  the  lips  of  the  Saviour 
himself,  and  they  were  still  more  confirmed  in  their  minds 
by  that  Spirit  of  Truth,  the  Paraclete  whom  the  Father  sent 
in  his  name  to  lead  them  unto  all  truth  and  to  teach  them 
all  things,  and  to  bring  to  their  minds  whatsoever  he  said 
to  them.  From  the  lips  of  those  witnesses,  the  fathers  of 


30  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

the  next  age  received  what  they  transmitted  to  their  suc¬ 
cessors,  and  thus  thro’  a  series  of  ages,  has  this  cloud  of 
holy  witnesses  gone  before  us,  to  guide  us  to  the  true  land 
of  promise,  by  their  blazing  glory  in  the  night  of  doubt  and 
error,  and  as  a  pillar  of  truth  in  the  day  of  steady  faith. 
Neither  the  improvement  of  science  nor  the  progress  of  the 
arts  can  make  false,  that  which  Christ  revealed  as  true; 
nor  make  that  truth,  which  he  declared  to  be  error.  The 
perfection  of  faith  is  to  be  found  in  the  unchangeableness 
of  doctrine,  and  the  meaning  of  his  word  is  that  which 
was  proclaimed  by  his  Apostles.  Thus,  new  and  arbitrary 
interpretations  of  the  sacred  volume  would  be,  not  the 
declaration  of  the  doctrine  of  redemption,  but  would  be 
the  substitution  of  human  opinion  for  the  testimony  of 
God. 

Deeming  it  therefore  to  be  their  most  sacred  duty,  the 
Bishops  of  the  Church  have  scrupulously  preserved  un¬ 
changed  through  the  innovations  of  time  and  the  altera¬ 
tions  of  ages,  the  testimony  of  Faith,  and  as  a  most  precious 
portion  thereof,  the  written  word  of  God.  Equally  anxious 
to  fulfil  our  important  trust,  we  too  desire  to  guard  you 
against  mistake  and  error.  We  therefore  earnestly  caution 
you  against  the  indiscriminate  use  of  unauthorised  ver¬ 
sions,  for  unfortunately  many  of  those  which  are  placed 
within  your  reach  are  extremely  erroneous  and  defective. 
The  Doway  translation  from  the  vulgate  of  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment,  together  with  the  Remish  translation  of  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament,  are  our  best  English  versions;  but  as  some  printers 
have  undertaken  in  these  States,  by  their  own  authority, 
without  our  sanction,  to  print  and  publish  editions  which 
have  not  been  submitted  to  our  examination,  we  cannot 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  correctness  of  such  cop¬ 
ies.  We  trust  that  henceforth  it  will  be  otherwise.  We 
would  also  desire  to  correct  that  irregularity  by  which 
prayer  books  and  other  works  of  devotion  and  instruction 
are  produced  from  the  press,  in  several  instances,  without 
authority  or  correction :  some  of  the  books  thus  pub¬ 
lished  are  rather  occasions  of  scandal  than  of  edifica¬ 
tion.  We  would  entreat  of  you  not  to  encourage  such  pro¬ 
ceedings. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


31 


We  would  also  draw  your  attention  to  another  subject, 
upon  which  we  have  too  often  felt  much  pain,  but  thanks 
be  to  our  Lord,  the  evil  has  greatly  dimin¬ 
ished.  Beloved  children  in  Christ,  you  are  Unity  Among 
aware  that  the  constitution  of  our  church  Catholics, 
was  formed  by  our  blessed  Saviour,  and 
that  although  we  are  commissioned  to  legislate  to  a  certain 
extent  in  its  concerns,  we  have  no  power  to  alter  that  con¬ 
stitution.  By  it  the  mode  of  our  government  is  unchange¬ 
ably  fixed,  and  the  great  founder  of  our  hierarchy,  Christ 
himself,  according  to  his  promise,  built  his  church  upon 
Peter,  as  the  basis  upon  which  it  was  to  remain  secure, 
not  only  against  the  winds  and  floods,  but  against  the  efforts 
of  the  gates  of  hell.  And  some  indeed  he  gave  in  this  unit 
of  faith  and  government  to  be  “Apostles,  and  some  prophets, 
and  other  some  evangelists,  and  other  some  pastors  and 
doctors*  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ.”  “And  now 
as  the  body  is  one,  but  hath  many  members,  though  they  may 
be  many,  yet  are  only  one  body.”  So  it  is  in  the  church  of 
Christ.  “If  the  foot  should  say,  because  I  am  not  the  hand, 
I  am  not  of  the  body:  is  it  not  therefore  of  the  body?  And 
if  the  ear  should  say,  because  I  am  not  the  eye,  I  am  not  of 
the  body;  is  it,  therefore,  not  of  the  body?  If  the  whole 
body  were  hearing,  where  would  be  the  smelling?  But  now 
God  hath  set  the  members,  every  one  of  them,  in  the  body 
as  it  hath  pleased  him,”  “and  the  eye  cannot  say  to  the 
hand:  I  need  not  thy  help,  nor  again  the  head  to  the  feet, 
I  have  no  need  of  you.  Yea,  much  more  those  that  seem 
to  be  the  more  feeble  members  of  the  body,  are  more  neces¬ 
sary;”  but  God  hath  tempered  the  body  together,  giving 
the  more  abundant  honour  to  that  which  wanted  it,  that 
there  might  be  no  schism  in  the  body,  but  that  the  members 
might  be  mutually  careful  one  for  another,  and  if  one 
member  suffer  anything,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it; 
or  if  one  member  glory,  all  the  members  rejoice  with  it. 
Now  you  are  the  body  of  Christ  and  members  of  mem¬ 
ber.  To  us,  unworthy  as  we  are,  the  same  Apostle 
who  thus  describes  the  knitting  together  of  our  mem¬ 
bers  into  compact  unity,  addresses  himself,  warning  that 


32  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

we  “take  heed  to  ourselves  and  to  all  the  flock  over 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  placed  us  Bishops  to 
govern  the  church  of  God,  which  he  hath  purchased 
with  his  blood.”  And  indeed  we  may  truly  say  with  the 
Apostle,  that  “we  think  God  hath  set  us  forth  as  the  last” 
amongst  you,  because  “we  are  made  a  spectacle  to  the 
world,  to  angels  and  to  men,”  we  are  assimilated  to  him 
in  many  things,  though  we  follow  only  at  a  distance  in  his 
footsteps,  “we  write  not  these  things  to  shame  you,  but  to 
admonish  you  as  our  dearest  children.”  Let  no  man  take 
us  to  be  foolish  if  we  imitate  even  in  this,  the  great  model, 
after  whom  we  would  gladly  copy.  “Seeing  that  many 
glory  according  to  the  flesh,  we  will  glory  also.  Are  we 
not  found  for  your  sakes  in  journeys  often,  in  perils  of 
rivers,  in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in 
perils  in  the  sea,  in  labour  and  painfulness,  in  watching 
often,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  many  fastings,  in  cold  and 
heat?  Besides  all  those  things  that  are  without;  our  daily 
instances,  the  solicitude  for  all  the  churches;  who  is  weak 
and  we  are  not  weak,  who  is  scandalized  and  we  do  not 
burn?  And  in  all  this  what  can  be  our  object? — We  have 
not  sought  the  stations  which  we  fill,  but  with  a  full  knowl¬ 
edge  of  their  difficulties,  not  relying  upon  our  own  suffi¬ 
ciency,  but  upon  the  grace  of  God  and  your  co-operation, 
we  boldly  say  before  the  God  who  will  judge  us,  that  it 
was  for  your  sake  and  for  that  of  your  children,  we  have 
taken  the  yoke  upon  us.  We  ask  not  your  riches;  for  our¬ 
selves  they  would  be  useless,  having  food  and  raiment  we 
are  satisfied;  we  have  no  families  to  provide  for,  we  have 
no  relatives  to  enrich;  to  your  service  we  have  devoted  our¬ 
selves,  solemnly  pledging  our  souls  to  God  for  your  advan¬ 
tage;  for  you  we  would  willingly  spend  and  be  spent.  What 
we  could  save  from  your  contributions,  what  we  could  ob¬ 
tain  in  foreign  nations  by  entreaty,  what  charity  has  en¬ 
trusted  to  our  own  disposal;  all  this  we  have  expended  for 
the  establishment  of  religion  amongst  you.  For  the  truth 
of  our  assertions  we  appeal  to  yourselves. — Are  we  then 
unworthy  of  your  confidence?  Has  our  conduct  been  domi¬ 
nation?  Before  God  we  are  conscious  of  many  faults,  and 
we  confess  and  lament  our  imperfections;  but  as  regards 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


33 


you,  we  have  kept  back  nothing  that  was  profitable  to  you, 
but  have  preached  it  to  you,  and  taught  you  publickly,  and 
from  house  to  house,  testifying  penance  towards  God  and 
faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  wherefore  we  take  you  wit¬ 
ness  to-day,  that  we  are  free  from  the  blood  of  all;  for  we 
have  not  been  wanting  to  declare  to  you  all  the  counsel 
of  God. 

Yet  there  have  been  found  amongst  you,  men  who,  not 
fully  acquainted  with  the  principles  of  our  church  govern¬ 
ment,  either  presumed  to  reform  it  upon  the 
model  of  those  who  have  separated  from  Trusteeism, 
us,  or  claimed  imaginary  rights  from  the 
misapprehension  of  facts  and  laws  with  which  they  were 
badly,  if  at  all  acquainted;  they  have  sometimes  been 
abetted  by  ignorant  or  unprincipled  priests;  and  disastrous 
schisms  have  thereby  occasionally  arisen.  We  have  shed 
bitter  tears  when  we  beheld  those  usurping  and  frequently 
immoral  delinquents,  standing  in  the  holy  places,  and  pro¬ 
faning  the  services  of  the  living  God;  we  have  deplored  the 
delusion  of  their  adherents.  But  we  trust  those  evil  days 
have  passed  away,  and  forever.  Still  we  feel  it  to  be  our 
duty  to  declare  to  you,  that  in  no  part  of  the  Catholic  Church 
does  the  right  of  instituting  or  dismissing  a  clergyman  to 
or  from  any  benefice  or  mission,  with  or  without  the  care 
of  souls,  exist  in  any  one,  save  the  ordinary  prelate  of  the 
diocess  or  district  in  which  such  benefice  or  mission  is 
found.  We,  of  course,  consider  our  holy  father  the  Pope, 
as  the  ordinary  prelate  of  the  whole  church,  yet  it  is  not 
usual  for  him  to  interfere,  save  on  very  extraordinary  oc¬ 
casions;  this  right  never  has  been  conceded  by  the  church 
to  any  other  body,  nor  could  it  be  conceded,  consistently 
with  our  faith  and  discipline. — We  further  declare  to  you, 
that  no  right  of  presentation  or  patronage  to  any  one  of 
our  churches  or  missions,  has  ever  existed  or  does  now  exist 
canonically,  in  these  United  States,  and,  moreover,  even  if 
it  were  desirable  to  create  such  right,  which  we  are  far 
from  believing;  it  would  be  altogether  impossible,  canon¬ 
ically  to  do  so,  from  the  manner  in  which  the  church- 
property  in  these  states  is  vested;  and  that  even  did  we  de¬ 
sire  to  create  such  right,  it  would  not  be  in  our  power,  after 


34 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


what  we  have  learned  from  eminent  lawyers  in  various 
states,  to  point  out  any  mode  in  which  it  could  be  canon¬ 
ically  created;  the  nature  of  our  state  constitutions  and  the 
dispositions  of  our  state  legislatures  regarding  church-prop¬ 
erty,  being  so  perfectly  at  variance  with  the  principles  upon 
which  such  property  must  be  secured,  before  such  right 
could  be  created.  It  is  our  duty,  as  it  is  our  disposition, 
so  to  exercise  that  power  which  resides  in  us,  of  making  or 
changing  the  appointments  of  your  pastors,  as  to  meet  not 
only  your  wants  but  your  wishes,  so  far  as  our  conscien¬ 
tious  convictions  and  the  just  desires  and  expectations  of 
meritorious  priests  will  permit,  and  we  trust  and  that  in 
the  discharge  of  this  most  important  and  most  delicate  duty, 
we  shall  always  meet  with  your  support;  as  our  only  object 
can  be  your  spiritual  welfare,  for  the  attainment  of  which 
we  are,  at  the  risk  of  our  eternal  salvation,  to  lay  aside 
all  prejudice  and  partiality  respecting  those  whom  we  ap¬ 
point. 

Beloved  children,  we  exhort  you  to  “be  zealous  for  the 
better  gifts,  and  we  yet  show  to  you  a  more  excellent  way.”  ‘ 
If  you  had  the  appointment  to  all  the  churches,  and  yet  had 
not  the  benefit  of  the  sacramental  institutions,  it  would  profit 
you  nothing. — “Except  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  son  of  man 
and  drink  his  blood,  you  cannot  have  life  in  you.”  The 
great  object  of  religion  is  the  creation  and  the  perpetuation 
of  this  life;  this  is  “the  vocation  in  which  you  are  called.” 
Alas!  How  often  have  our  spirits  been  depressed,  and  our 
hearts  smitten  whilst  we  walked  amidst  the  dry  bones  that 
lay  scattered  on  the  plain,  entrusted  to  our  care?  Once 
they  were  covered  with  sinews  and  flesh,  and  animated  with 
the  spirit  of  God;  those  bodies  were  the  tabernacles  of  the 
Holy  Ghost;  delighted  angels  hovered  round,  to  enter  into 
holy  converse  with  the  kindred  souls  which  dwelt  within; 
the  elastic  air  was  fragrant  with  the  breathings  of  prayer; 
the  soft  eye  of  pious  gratitude  reflected  in  its  effulgence 
the  complacency  of  Heaven;  it  was  like  to  another  Eden 
where  God  vouchsafed  to  become  familiar  with  the  children 
of  dust;  it  was  well  for  us  to  be  there;  how  we  desired  to 
build  tabernacles  and  to  make  it  our  abode!  But  alas,  the 
serpent  came,  sin  was  entertained,  death  triumphed,  and 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


35 


the  silence  of  desolation  and  the  ruins  of  mortality  are 
spread  around. 

O!  that  our  voice  could  effect  in  you,  the  change  which 
that  of  the  Prophet  was  destined  to  produce  upon  the  house 
of  Israel.  “Say  not  our  bones  are  dried  up,  and  our  hope 
is  lost,  and  we  are  cut  off,”  for  the  Lord  God  who  first 
breathed  into  Adam  a  living  soul,  has  commanded  us  to 
proclaim  to  those  slain  by  sin,  that  they  may  live  again. 
We  entreat  you,  therefore,  that  deserting  the  ways  of 
iniquity,  you  “be  now  converted  to  the  pastor  and  bishop  of 
your  souls,”  “who,  when  we  all  were  as  sheep  going  astray,” 
“his  own  self  bore  our  sins  in  his  body  upon  the  tree,  that 
we  being  dead  to  sin,  might  live  to  justice;  by  whose  stripes 
we  are  healed.”  You  acknowledge  the  power  of  the  tribunal 
which  he  has  himself  established  when  he  “breathed  upon 
his  disciples,  and  said  to  them,  receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them;  and 
whose  you  shall  retain  they  are  retained.”  Have  recourse 
thereto.  Our  Holy  Father  Pope  Pius  VIII.  the  successor  of 
St.  Peter,  the  head  of  the  Catholic  Church,  unites  his  suppli¬ 
cation  to  ours,  beseeching  you  to  have  pity  upon  your  own 
souls,  and  offers  you  the  benefits  of  a  plenary  indulgence 
in  the  form  of  a  jubilee,  to  excite  and  encourage  you  to  ad¬ 
vance.  If  then,  this  day,  through  our  ministry,  you  hear 
the  voice  of  the  Lord,  harden  not  your  hearts,  lest  having 
filled  up  the  measure  of  your  iniquities,  he  should  swear 
in  his  wrath;  and  the  time  of  mercy  be  no  more.  We  are 
edified  by  the  piety  of  thousands  who  regularly  partake  of 
the  sacred  gifts;  we  entreat  you  who  have  been  hitherto 
remiss,  to  fill  up  the  measure  of  our  consolation  by  uniting 
yourselves  to  them. 

Be  constant  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  with  be¬ 
coming  dispositions  of  heart,  for  “God  is  a  spirit”  and  seeks 
true  adorers  “in  spirit  and  in  truth.”  Be 
frequent  at  the  other  public  offices  of  the  Attendance 
church,  carefully  observe  the  command-  at  Mass, 
ments  of  God;  and  steadily  obey  the  pre¬ 
cepts  of  that  spouse  of  Christ,  “the  pillar  and  the  ground  of 
truth,”  of  which  he  declares  himself,  “he  that  will  not  hear 
the  church,  let  him  be  to  you  as  a  heathen  and  a  publican;” 


36 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


“let  no  man  deceive  you  with  vain  words,  for  because  of 
these  things  cometh  the  anger  of  God  upon  the  children 
of  unbelief.  Be  ye  not,  therefore,  partakers  with  them.” 
You  know  “that  no  fornicator  nor  unclean,  nor  covetous 
persons  which  is  a  serving  of  idols,  hath  any  inheritance  in 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  of  God.”  “Have  no  fellowship 
with  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness,  but  rather  reprove 
them.”  “Be  not  drunk  with  wine  wherein  is  luxury,  but  be 
ye  tilled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.”  You  cannot  be  partakers  of 
the  sacraments  of  the  church  whilst  you  condemn  her  au¬ 
thority  or  disregard  her  precepts.  The  laws  of  fasting  and 
abstinence  are  part  of  the  earliest,  the  most  necessary,  and 
most  wholesome  discipline  of  the  church,  yet  there  are 
many,  and  we  write  it  with  affliction  of  soul,  who  profess 
to  be  of  our  body,  and  who  disregard  those  sacred  ordi¬ 
nances,  making  themselves  slaves  to  gluttony  rather  than 
servants  of  God,  who  prefer  the  gratification  of  their  appe¬ 
tite  to  the  practice  of  religion,  “enemies  of  the  Cross  of 
Christ,  whose  end  is  destruction,  whose  God  is  their  belly, 
and  whose  glory  is  their  shame,  who  mind  earthly  things.” 
— Others,  through  a  discreditable  pusillanimity,  blush  to  be 
consistent  in  observing  the  usages  of  a  church  to  which 
the}'  are  known  to  belong;  they  violate  its  ordinances  to 
escape  the  sneer  of  the  unbeliever,  who  cannot  himself  avoid 
despising  the  weakness  which  dreads  the  smile  of  a  man, 
rather  than  the  displeasure  of  God.  We  entreat  of  you  to  be 
more  consistent  in  your  practice  with  your  profession. 

Whilst  we  caution  you  against  that  demoralizing  and  un¬ 
reasonable  semblance  of  liberality  now  so  prevalent,  which 

confounds  truth  and  error,  by  asserting 
False  that  all  religions  are  alike,  as  if  contradic- 

Liberalism.  tory  propositions  could  be  at  the  same  time 

true;  we  exhort  you  to  charity  and  affection 
towards  your  citizens  of  every  denomination.  To  God  and 
not  to  you,  nor  to  us,  do  they  stand  or  fall;  to  him  and  not 
to  us  is  reserved  the  judgment  of  individuals.  We  know  it 
to  be  clearly  declared  by  the  inspiration  of  heaven,  as  it  is 
also  manifest  from  the  plain  evidence  of  reason,  that  there 
cannot  be  now  upon  this  earth,  two  true  churches.  We 
know  that  we  have  preserved  the  deposit  of  the  faith,  which 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity 


37 


we  ought  to  adorn  by  our  virtue,  and  whilst  we  testify  those 
facts  to  you  we  exhort  you  to  imitate  the  glorious  and  credi¬ 
table  example  of  those  good  men  who  first  sowed  the  mus¬ 
tard  seed  of  our  faith  in  this  part  of  our  continents — They 
were  so  fully  convinced  of  those  great  truths  which  we  now 
proclaim,  that  they  suffered  joyfully  every  description  of 
persecution  rather  than  swerve  from  that  one  holy  Catholic 
and  Apostolic  Church  to  which  you  and  they  and  we  belong. 
Yet  neither  the  principles  of  that  faith,  nor  the  affliction 
which  they  endured,  created  any  unkind  feeling  in  their 
benevolent  hearts;  and  though  even  at  this  side  of  the  At¬ 
lantic,  upon  their  arrival,  they  found  persecution  every¬ 
where  armed  with  the  implements  of  torture,  inflicting  pain 
and  death  under  the  pretext  of  piety,  they  ventured  to 
introduce  a  milder,  a  better,  a  more  Christian  like  principle; 
that  of  genuine  religious  liberty,  which  though  it  declares 
that  truth  is  single,  that  religious  indifference  is  criminal 
in  the  eye  of  God,  and  that  religious  error  wilfully  enter¬ 
tained  is  destructive  to  the  soul;  yet  also  proclaims  that  the 
Saviour  has  not  commanded  his  gospel  to  be  disseminated 
by  violence,  and  therefore  they  enacted,  that  within  their 
borders,  all  other  Christians  should  securely  repose  in  -the 
enjoyment  of  all  their  civil  and  political  rights,  though  they 
were  in  religious  error.  If  our  brethren  of  other  denomi¬ 
nations  have,  since  that  period,  adopted  the  principle,  and 
now  cherish  it,  they  will  not  be  displeased  at  our  gratifi¬ 
cation  that  it  emanated  from  the  body  to  which  we  belong, 
and  at  our  inculcating  upon  you,  to  preserve  the  same 
spirit  that  those  good  men  manifested  not  only  in  our  civil 
and  political,  but  also  in  your  social  relations  with  your 
separated  brethren. 

“Therefore  stand  fast,  and  hold  the  traditions  which 
you  have  learned,  whether  by  word  or  by  epistle.”  “Pray 
for  us,  that  the  word  of  God  may  run,  and  may  be  glorified 
even  as  among  you:  for  we  have  confidence  in  the  Lord 
concerning  you  that  the  things  which  we  command,  you 
will  do:  and  the  Lord  direct  your  hearts  in  the  charity  of 
God  and  the  patience  of  Christ.”  “For  the  rest,  beloved 
children,  whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are 
modest,  whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatsoever  holy,  what- 


38  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

soever  amiable,  whatsoever  of  good  repute,  if  there  be  any 
virtue,  if  any  praise  of  discipline,  think  on  these  things.” — 
“The  things  which  you  have  both  learned  and  received’  and 
heard  and  seen,  these  do  ye,  and  the  God  of  peace  be  with 
you.”  “And  the  peace  of  God,  which  surpasseth  all  under¬ 
standing,  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  in  Christ  Jesus.” 

i 

Given  in  Council ,  at  Baltimore,  this  17th  day  of  October, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1829. 

■EJames,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

■^■Benedict  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Bardstown. 

EJohn,  Bishop  of  Charleston  and  V.  G.  of  East  Florida. 
EEdward,  Bishop  of  Cincinnati. 

EJoseph,  Bishop  of  St.  Louis  and  Adminr.  of  New 
Orleans. 

■^Benedict  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Boston. 

E  William  Matthews,  V.  A.  and  Administrator  of  Phila¬ 
delphia. 


Edward  Damphoux,  D.D.,  Secretary. 


CHAPTER  III 

The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  (1829) 

THERE  is  no  gainsaying  the  fact  that  in  the  decrees  of  the 
Council  of  1829  the  clergy  of  the  Province  of  Baltimore 
were  especially  considered.  To  quote  the  significant  words  of 
one  commentator,  “things  were  generally  in  a  loose  state, 
many  unworthy  priests  who  had  been  sent  out  of  Europe 
taking  up  their  abode  in  various  places,  either  without  authori¬ 
zation  of  the  spiritual  rulers  or  else  on  false  pretenses,  and  thus 
creating  scandal  among  the  community  at  large.  There  were 
few  native  priests;  most  of  them  came  from  foreign  parts;  and 
in  this  another  drawback  lay.”  1 

The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  was  written  by  Bishop 
John  England,  after  a  special  committee  of  bishops  had  selected 
the  topics  which  were  to  be  discussed  in  this  important  docu¬ 
ment.  At  the  opening  of  the  Council  (October  4,  1829),  the 
hierarchy  of  the  United  States  consisted  of  the  metropolitan 
of  Baltimore,  with  six  suffragan  Bishops;  outside  the  Baltimore 
Province  were  three  bishoprics  subject  directly  to  Rome — New 
Orleans,  St.  Louis,  and  the  Vicariate  of  Alabama-Florida. 
The  First  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore  was  the  most  im¬ 
posing  of  all  ecclesiastical  assemblies  in  the  American  Church 
up  to  that  time.  It  marks  the  beginning  of  a  better  knowledge 
of  the  entire  Church  of  the  country  on  the  part  of  the  prelates, 
and  it  gave  to  Catholicism  in  the  Republic  a  dignity  in  the  eyes 
of  non-Catholics  which  up  to  that  period  it  had  not  enjoyed. 

The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy 

(First  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore) 

The  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  and  the  other  prelates  of 
the  United  States  of  America ,  in  Council  assembled , 
to  their  very  reverend  and  reverend  co-operators  and 
Brethren  in  Christ,  the  Clergy  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  in  the  same  States:  Health  and  Blessing.  Grace 
be  to  you,  and  peace  from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  in  the  unity  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

iMcElrone,  ‘‘The  Councils  of  Baltimore,”  In  the  Memorial  Volume  of  the  Third 
Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore,  p.  33.  Baltimore,  1885. 


40 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


Dearly  Beloved, 

Following  the  ancient  usage  of  the  Church,  after  be¬ 
seeching  the  aid  of  the  Father  of  Lights,  we  have  considered 
those  things  which  appeared  to  us  necessary  to  be  regulated 
in  the  present  state  of  our  discipline.  Whilst  performing 
this  sacred  duty,  we  have  endeavoured,  under  the  hope  of 
being  guided  by  “him  who  chiefly  loves  equity,  not  to  be 
disturbers  of  justice;”  and  have  taken  counsel,  so  that  we 
might  not  be  misled  by  ignorance,  or  drawn  aside  by  fa¬ 
vour;  nor  has  any  temptation  to  do  wrong  been  cast  in  our 
way.  Our  Conferences  have  been  in  charity  and  kindness, 
with  that  mutual  reverence  which  the  sacred  institutions 
of  the  Son  of  God  demand;  especially  for  those  whom,  be¬ 
cause  of  his  goodness,  not  of  their  deserts,  he  vouchsafes 
to  elevate  to  the  station  of  successors  of  the  apostles,  whom 
“the  Holy  Ghost  hath  placed  Bishops  to  govern  the  Church 
of  God,  which  he  hath  acquired  with  his  blood.”  We  have 
transmitted  to  our  Holy  Father  the  decrees  and  regulations 
that  we  have  thus  formed,  so  that  being  made  perfect  by 
the  authority  of  Peter,  they  may  be  to  ourselves  and  to  you, 
beloved  brethren,  the  correct  rules  of  orderly  demeanour, 
which,  we  trust,  you  will  cheerfully  unite  with  us  in  ob¬ 
serving.  We  have  addressed  in  the  spirit  of  affection  the- 
laity  entrusted  to  our  charge:  allow  us  in  the  solicitude  of 
those  tender  attachments  to  express  our  feelings  and  wishes 
to  you,  the  co-operators  in  our  ministry,  the  ambassadors  of 
Christ,  the  dispensers  of  the  mysteries  of  God.  We  most 
urgently  entreat  you  not  only  to  continue  to  walk  as  you 
have  hitherto  done,  but  to  make  even  greater  exertions,  so 
that  you  may,  through  the  merits  of  Christ  our  Redeemer, 
not  only  procure  your  own  salvation  but  that  of  many  others 
whose  souls  are  entrusted  to  your  care,  and  for  whom  you 
must  render  an  account  before  angels  and  men  at  the  tribu¬ 
nal  of  that  Judge,  in  whose  presence  even  they  by  whom 
he  was  surrounded  have  been  found  imperfect. 

“You  are  the  light  of  the  world,”  the  lustre  of  your  ex¬ 
ample  must  irradiate  its  obscurity,  and  alas!  how  many  are 
they  who  sit  “in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death.”  He 
by  whom  you  have  been  sent,  came  to  enlighten  the  world, 
and  communicating  to  his  apostles  his  strength,  his  power 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  (1829) 


41 


and  his  charity  in  tongues  of  fire,  through  their  successors 
the  sacred  flame  has  alighted  upon  your  head  in  ordination: 
to  you  therefore  he  specially  addresses 
himself,  that  your  light  may  so  shine  before  The  Clergy 
men  that  they  may  see  your  good  works,  the  Light 
and  glorify  your  father  who  is  in  Heaven,  of  the  World. 
How  glorious  is  your  vocation!  How  ele¬ 
vated  your  dignity!  How  important  your  duties!  How 
awful  your  responsibility! 

The  world  tends  to  corruption,  “you  are  the  salt”  by 
which  it  must  be  preserved  from  putrescence;  hut  if  you 
“lose  your  savour”  wherewith  shall  it  be  preserved?  Its 
loss  is  a  natural  consequence;  and  if  you  become  worthless 
you  are  doomed  to  be  “cast  out  and  trodden  under  foot.” 
It  is  not  said,  if  you  become  corrupt,  but  if  you  lose  your 
savour.  You  are  aware,  beloved  brethren,  that  the  faults 
which  are  trivial  in  the  layman  are  crimes  in  the  priest: 
and  that,  as  your  place  is  higher,  so  are  the  virtues  which 
a  God  of  justice  demands  from  you  of  a  far  superior  grade 
to  those  required  from  a  layman.  It  is  then,  brethren,  our 
duty  and  yours  to  aim  at  being  “the  light  of  the  world,” 
and  “the  salt  of  the  earth.”  “Be  you  perfect  as  your 
Heavenly  Father  is  perfect.” 

We  need  scarcely  remind  you,  reverend  brethren,  that 
your  perfection  will  be  found  in  being  fully  animated  by 
the  spirit  of  your  holy  state.  For  all  men, 
because  of  our  weakness  and  corruption,  Sacerdotal 
prayer  is  essential  that  “through  grace  we  Perfection, 
might  obtain  seasonable  aid;”  but  for  us 
it  is  more  especially  necessary.  We  are  called  upon  to  be 
pure  and  holy  in  the  midst  of  profanity  and  vice;  the 
apostle  admonishes  us,  that  evil  communication  corrupts 
good  morals,  and  the  examples  which  are  so  fearfully  ex¬ 
hibited  in  the  sacred  records  shew  us  but  too  plainly,  the 
piety  of  David,  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  and  the  strength  of 
Samson,  yielding  to  the  influence  of  sin.  How  many  simi¬ 
lar  instances  might  we  not  easily  adduce  to  confirm  more 
fully  in  our  minds  the  conviction  of  that  admirable  charge, 
“let  him  that  standeth  beware  lest  he  fall?”  We  cannot  de¬ 
part  from  this  pestilential  region  in  which  the  duty  that  we 


42 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


owe  to  God  detains  us,  but  upon  the  mountain  of  prayer 
we  may  occasionally  breathe  a  purer  atmosphere;  there  we 
may  expose  the  wounds  of  our  heart  to  the  loving  physician 
of  our  souls;  there  we  may  be  renewed  in  spirit,  and  in¬ 
vigorated  when  we  shall  have  been  healed;  thence  we  may 
bring  down  to  others  the  means  of  their  spiritual  health 
and  everlasting  salvation. 

How  often,  beloved  brethren,  have  we  not  been  dis¬ 
heartened  at  the  little  progress  which  we  make  in  bringing 
souls  to  God?  “All  night  we  have  laboured  and  we  have 
taken  nothing.”  Talent  was  not  wanting,  information  had 
enriched  the  mind,  truth  was  on  our  side,  circumstances 
appeared  favourable,  and  yet  we  have  been  unsuccessful; 
our  people  were  obdurate,  and  our  prospects  were  un¬ 
promising.  The  mystery  admits  of  easy  solution.  It  is 
ours  to  plant,  it  is  ours  to  water,  but  it  belongs  to  God  to 
give  the  increase:  our  reliance  was  too  much  upon  our  own 
sufficiency:  too  little  upon  his  power!  Have  we  not  often 
beheld  him  select  weak  humility  to  confound  strong  pride? 
“that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his  sight.”  Ask  of  him  ear¬ 
nestly  in  prayer  and  you  shall  receive,  and  then  when  you 
give  to  him  the  glory,  your  joy  will  be  complete.  Or,  if  for  a 
time  he  should  withhold  the  expected  fruit,  he  will  console 
you  when  he  will  speak  to  your  heart  and  teach  you  perfect 
resignation  to  his  will. 

Alas!  how  often  has  it  happened  that  he  whom  the  world 
admired  and  applauded,  upon  whose  lips  men  hung  with 

delight,  and  whose  deeds  were  exhibited 
The  Spirit  as  the  great  results  of  combined  wisdom 
of  Prayer.  and  energy  and  zeal,  was  lost  in  these  ex¬ 
ternal  occupations,  became  estranged  from 
converse  with  his  God,  was  filled  with  the  vanity  that  is  too 
often  the  sad  result  of  human  praise,  and  continuing  from 
habit,  and  with  imperfect  motives,  what  he  had  begun  in 
the  spirit  of  true  love  for  his  Redeemer,  lost  all  relish  for 
interior  piety,  and  became  mere  sounding  brass!  Brethren, 
it  is  only  by  the  spirit  of  prayer  you  can  be  preserved  from 
this  worst  calamity.  It  is  only  by  prayer  that  you  can  ob¬ 
tain  light  from  above,  to  discern  between  leprosy  and  lep¬ 
rosy,  in  that  tribunal  where  you  are  made  the  judges  of 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  (1829) 


43 


souls,  and  commissioned  to  restore,  by  your  authoritative 
sentence,  the  lonely  one  which  had  been  separated  from 
the  holy  fellowship  of  the  children  of  God,  to  the  com¬ 
munion  of  the  just  and  the  participation  of  the  Body  of 
Christ.  True  repentance  comes  from  God  alone,  and  too 
often  is  there  a  deceitful  semblance  which  misleads  not  only 
the  inattentive  observer,  but  even  the  sinner  himself,  and 
the  judge  who  has  not,  by  intimate  conversation  with  the 
father  of  spirits,  learned  to  discriminate  the  characteristics 
of  a  penitent  made  worthy  of  his  affection.  How  dreadful 
if  the  habit  results  from  the  ignorance  of  that  priest 
who  is  not  a  man  of  prayer!  dearly  beloved,  be  instant  in 
prayer,  that  you  may  avoid  the  cause  of  your  own  ruin 
and  that  of  those  for  whom  the  precious  blood  of  the  Re¬ 
deemer  has  been  so  copiously  shed.  Too  often  have  the 
great  and  salutary  maxims  of  Christian  morality  given  way 
to  a  destructive  expediency,  which  attempts  to  reconcile  the 
spirit  of  the  gospel  to  the  bad  practices  of  the  world:  too 
often  has  human  respect  been  insensibly  submitted  to  by 
him,  who  as  the  herald  of  heaven,  ought  to  stand  to  his  post 
with  the  firmness  of  an  archangel.  The  self-love  which  we 
cherish,  has  dreaded  the  reproach  of  our  conscience  should 
we  require  others  to  be  more  perfect  than  we  felt  we  were 
ourselves;  and  thus  because  of  the  neglect  of  prayer,  the 
mounds  which  had  been  erected  to  avert  the  progress  of  im¬ 
morality  were  permitted  to  decay,  and  virtue  was  swept 
from  those  gardens  in  which  it  had  been  so  successfully  cul¬ 
tivated.  In  vain  did  the  eye  seek  refreshment,  and  the 
fragrance  which  once  delighted  us  was  no  more.  If  the 
priest  be  a  man  of  prayer,  when  he  mixes  with  his  flock 
he  will  bring  amongst  them  the  maxims,  the  spirit,  and  the 
blessing  of  that  God  with  whom  he  converses;  but,  if  he  be 
negligent  in  the  discharge  of  this  great  duty,  his  disappointed 
people  will  undervalue  his  calling,  he  will  perceive  their 
want  of  attention,  and  he  will  study  their  habits  and  amuse¬ 
ments,  that,  by  joining  in  them,  he  may  become  acceptable 
to  them.  He  is  no  longer  the  messenger  of  heaven;  his  pro¬ 
fession  is  an  inconsistency,  and  the  interests  of  religion  suf¬ 
fer,  even  from  his  very  advocacy  itself. 

If  you  desire  then  to  be  useful  to  your  people,  you  must 


44 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


endeavour  to  unite  in  yourselves  the  qualities  of  Moses  and 
Josue.  When  the  Amalecite  approaches,  you  must  lift  your 
hands  in  prayer  upon  the  mountain  ere  you  go  down  into 
the  plain  to  combat.  You  are  mediators  between  God  and 
his  people;  when  his  wrath  is  enkindled,  you  must,  like 
Aaron,  instantly  seize  upon  the  censer  and  rush  between 
the  living  and  the  dead,  that,  your  prayers  ascending  with 
a  sweet  odour,  from  the  warm  affection  of  your  burning 
hearts,  he  may  be  appeased  because  of  the  merits  of  his 
son,  whose  representatives  you  are.  It  is  true  that,  because 
of  your  other  avocations,  you  cannot  devote  large  portions 
of  your  time  continually  to  this  most  important  of  your  ob¬ 
ligations.  But  in  reciting  the  Psalms  and  other  portions 
of  scripture,  which  the  church  requires  of  you  daily  to  read 
in  your  office,  you  can  be  filled  with  the  spirit  which  they 
contain;  and  besides  your  morning  and  evening  devotions, 
you  can  retire  at  intervals  during  the  day,  for  a  few  mo¬ 
ments,  to  converse  with  God,  and  keep  yourselves  always 
in  his  presence,  sending  forth  your  ejaculations  as  you  call 
to  mind  your  own  weakness  and  his  perfections,  your  sol¬ 
emn  obligations  and  his  justice  and  mercy. 

Brethren,  no  man  can  make  progress  in  virtue  without 
strict  examination  of  his  conscience,  and  intimate  conversa¬ 
tion  with  heaven.  The  carnal  man  is  con- 

Meditation.  versant  with  external  objects,  the  spiritual 

man  studies  his  own  interior,  and  as  it 
were  carries  his  soul  in  his  hands,  always  subject  to  his 
inspection.  It  was  said  to  the  Levites  of  old,  “be  you 
cleansed  who  carry  the  vessels  of  the  Lord.”  You  bear 
about  with  you  more  than  the  vessels.  “Blessed  are  the 
clean  of  heart  for  thev  shall  see  God,”  was  the  declaration 
of  the  Saviour.  It  is  your  duty  to  see  God,  and  to  converse 
with  him  for  the  advantage  of  his  people;  it  is  your  duty, 
when  forgetful  of  his  law  they  proclaim  a  festival  for  pas¬ 
sion  and  excite  his  anger,  to  cast  yourselves  at  his  feet  upon 
the  mountain,  to  avert  his  wrath  even  before  you  descend  to 
reprove  them  for  their  criminality.  Your  hearts  must  be 
clean  that  your  prayer  may  be  efficacious.  Unfortunately, 
you  dwell  in  the  midst  of  contamination,  you  should,  there¬ 
fore,  be  perpetually  vigilant,  that  by  the  tear  of  penance  and 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  (1829) 


45 


the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  you  may  immediately  wash  away 
the  soil  to  which  you  are  occasionally  liable;  you  are  well 
aware  that  whilst  it  remains  it  penetrates,  and  stains  more 
deeply;  hence  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  have  it  in¬ 
stantly  discovered  and  rapidly  removed.  Watch,  therefore, 
that  you  enter  not  into  temptation,  and  devote  at  least  some 
portion  of  your  morning  to  that  most  necessary  duty  of 
meditation.  You  will  thus  sanctify  yourselves  and  those  en¬ 
trusted  to  your  charge.  You  have  been  trained  up  in  this 
way,  but,  beloved  brethren,  you  will  excuse  us  if  we  express 
our  apprehension  that  some  amongst  you  have  been  insen¬ 
sibly  drawn  by  worldly  habits  into  a  fatal  neglect. 

You  are  the  instructors  of  your  people;  if  their  eye  be 
darkened,  how  shall  they  see?  “If  the  blind  lead  the  blind, 
they  shall  both  fall  into  the  pit  and  perish 
together;”  and  how  many  dangerous  prec-  Reading  the 
ipices  lie  along  the  narrow  way  that  leads  Scriptures, 
to  Heaven!  If  you  walk  carefully  in  the 
footsteps  of  the  saints  who  have  preceded  you,  your  journey 
will  be  in  security;  if  you  attend  to  the  instructions  of  the 
spouse  of  Christ  you  cannot  mistake  your  path;  you  should 
therefore  seek  daily  to  extend  your  knowledge,  that  you 
may  improve  your  people:  the  field  which  lies  before  you 
is  immense,  the  wealth  of  ages  is  spread  upon  its  surface, 
and  it  is  moreover  enriched  with  the  treasures  of  Heaven. 
The  sacred  volume  of  the  Scriptures  should  be  to  you  as 
the  rolled  book  was  to  Ezechiel;  you  should  eat  it  before 
you  go  to  speak  to  the  children  of  Israel.  When  you  ap¬ 
proach  to  partake  thereof,  it  will  be  to  you  sweet  as  honey 
in  your  mouth;  you  shall  be  filled;  from  the  fulness  of  your 
heart  your  words  will  proceed,  your  discourses  will  not  be 
in  the  expressions  of  human  wisdom  but  in  the  power  of 
God;  and  the  word  which  is  thus  sent  forth,  will  not  return 
without  fruit.  To  those  who  are  negligent  or  arrogant,  on 
this  head,  the  same  book  is  like  to  the  flying  volume  of 
Zacharias;  it  is  a  curse  that  goeth  forth  over  the  face  of  the 
earth  for  judgment  and  destruction.  Seek  then  in  this 
sacred  place  to  learn  what,  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles, 
our  Holy  Mother  the  Church  has  held  and  preserved  as  gen¬ 
uine  interpretation  of  those  passages  which  so  many  of  the 


46 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


learned  and  unlearned  and  unstable  wrest  to  their  own  per¬ 
dition.  Be  intimately  conversant  therewith;  for  the  lips  of 
the  priest  should  keep  knowledge;  the  people  seek  the  law 
at  his  mouth,  “because  he  is  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  of  hosts.” 
Wo  to  them  who  because  of  their  ignorance  would  cause 
persons  to  stumble  at  the  law;  they  make  void  the  covenant; 
not  only  are  they  contemptible  and  base  before  the  people, 
but  they  have  a  dreadful  account  to  render  at  the  bar  of 
divine  justice. 

Brethren,  we  entreat  of  you,  not  to  be  taken  in  the  de¬ 
lusive  snare  which  has  entangled  several,  who,  leaving  the 

law  and  the  gospel,  have  wasted  their  time 

Preaching.  and  destroyed  their  usefulness  by  indulg¬ 
ing  in  the  study  of  vain  and  frivolous 
ephemeral  productions,  under  the  pretext  of  acquiring  a 
pleasing  style.  The  truths  of  religion  should  be  delivered 
in  becoming  language,  but  it  is  a  sad  mistake  to  leave  the 
substance  in  order  to  acquire  the  appearance:  and  we  fear 
that  in  general  this  disposition  evinces  rather  a  dissipation 
of  mind  than  a  zeal  for  improvement:  we  should  hope  that 
it  never  springs  from  the  unholy  ambition  of  exhibiting  the 
individual  for  human  applause  rather  than  of  preaching 
the  doctrines  of  a  crucified  Redeemer. 

We  would  not  be  understood  as  disposed  to  restrain  our 
brethren  from  the  pursuit  of  useful  human  science,  which 
might  be  so  often  turned  to  the  advantage  of  religion,  as  the 
blending  of  various  rays  gives  the  purest  light;  but  we  would 
impress  upon  their  minds  the  superior  excellence  of  that 
which  God  has  taught  over  that  which  man  acquires:  thus 
whilst  we  urge  a  decided  preference  we  are  far  from  insist¬ 
ing  upon  an  exclusive  occupation.  It  becomes  our  character 
always  to  read  for  information,  never  for  amusement. 

They  who  sometimes  complain  of  the  want  of  leisure  for 
study,  are  frequently  found  at  a  loss  for  employment;  they 

are  not  unusually  found  spending  hours 
Study.  together  in  unprofitable  conversations,  and 
even  sometimes  engaged  in  mere  worldly 
concerns.  It  is  true  that  there  are  not  many  amongst  us, 
beloved  brethren,  against  whom  such  a  charge  can  be  made 
with  propriety;  but  it  would  greatly  console  us  if  not  one 


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47 


could  be  discovered  who  so  far  forgot  the  dignity  of  his 
place  and  the  extent  of  his  obligation.  No  large  stock  of 
books  is  requisite;  a  very  few  will  answer;  but  those  few 
should  be  in  perpetual  use.  The  doctrines  of  faith,  the  great 
principles  of  morality,  the  history  of  the  Church,  the  ad¬ 
monitions  of  the  holy  Bible,  a  few  volumes  which  would 
aid  in  your  own  spiritual  improvement,  by  example  and  re¬ 
flection,  this  would  suffice,  and  this  every  one  could  pro¬ 
cure.  An  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  meaning  of  our 
instructive  ceremonials,  and  the  force  of  our  admirable 
liturgy,  would  be  at  once  deep  lessons  of  admonition  to 
the  priest,  and  of  sublime  and  beautiful  and  impressive  in¬ 
struction  to  the  people,  who  are  too  often  left  to  behold 
without  edification  that  which  was  constructed  to  convey  to 
the  mind  of  the  flock,  the  doctrines,  the  history,  and  the 
efficacy  of  religion,  as  well  as  the  dispositions  which  should 
animate  them  at  our  public  offices.  We  entreat  you, 
brethren,  to  give  heed  to  those  important  concerns. 

When  we  entered  upon  our  holy  state,  we  renounced 
the  prospects  of  worldly  gain  and  the  claim  to  worldly  en¬ 
joyment;  we  took  the  Lord  for  our  inher¬ 
itance,  and  looked  for  our  reward  in  a  bet-  The  Priesthood, 
ter  world;  we  undertook  to  protect  with 
inviolable  fidelity  the  interests  of  religion,  when  the  mystic 
keys  under  which  the  deposit  was  kept  were  placed  in  our 
hands.  When  we  were  privileged  to  stand  in  an  elevated 
place  in  the  Church,  to  instruct  the  faithful,  the  solemn 
monition  was  given  to  us  that  our  exaltation  was  for  ex¬ 
ample,  not  for  domination;  it  was  expected  that  after  we 
had  by  divine  aid  expelled  the  enemy  of  God  from  our  own 
souls,  we  should  succeed  in  dispossessing  others  by  the  in¬ 
fluences  of  our  conduct  and  the  efficacy  of  prayer;  when 
we  were  told  to  let  our  light  so  shine  before  men  that  they 
may  see  our  good  works  and  glorify  our  Father  who  is  in 
Heaven;  we  were  admonished  to  walk  as  children  of  light, 
and  informed  that  the  fruit  of  light  is  in  all  goodness  and 
justice  and  truth.  At  a  more  solemn  moment  of  our  devo¬ 
tion,  when  the  sacred  vessels  were  placed  in  our  hands, 
we  were  charged  to  have  the  altar  of  the  living  God  deco¬ 
rated  with  the  purity  of  virtue,  so  that  the  beholders  might 


48 


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be  enamoured  with  the  beauty  of  the  house  of  the  Lord. 
Raised  to  the  levitical  rank  and  becoming  incorporated  with 
that  lovely  tribe  of  which  the  heroic  Stephen  was  the  pre¬ 
cious  ornament,  it  was  committed  to  us  to  bear  and  watch 
the  tabernacle  in  the  holy  attire  of  virtue,  proclaiming  the 
precepts  of  the  Gospel  whilst  we  ourselves  were  models  of 
their  observance,  so  that  by  the  exhibition  of  our  spiritual 
cleanliness,  splendour,  purity  and  charity,  we  might  be 
fitted  to  occupy  the  station  of  the  active  vanguard  of  the 
sacred  host,  and  the  joyous  multitude  should  be  excited  to 
declare,  that  blessed  are  the  feet  of  those  announcing  the 
Gospel  of  good  things.  On  a  more  awful  day,  we  pledged 
ourselves  to  have  profound  respect  for  our  own  station, 
and  whilst  we  were  authorised  to  shew  forth  the  death  of  the 
Lord  until  his  second  coming,  we  undertook  to  mortify  our¬ 
selves,  that  being  made  like  to  Christ  in  death,  we  may  be 
raised  with  him  to  a  more  perfect  life  and  assimilated  in 
permanent  glory.  To  attain  this  we  promised  that  our  doc¬ 
trine  should  be  a  spiritual  medicine  for  the  people  of  God, 
the  sweet  odour  of  our  life  the  delight  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  and  that  we  would,  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
by  word  and  deed  build  up  with  an  holy  people  the  living 
temple  of  the  eternal  God.  Thus,  brethren,  are  you  segre¬ 
gated  from  the  laity,  and  made  to  appear  within  the  sanc¬ 
tuary  robed  in  that  ancient  and  mysterious  vesture  which 
testifies  the  origin  of  our  Church,  the  facts  which  we  com¬ 
memorate,  and  the  many  virtues  of  which  you  should  be  the 
bright  examples.  Surely,  you  need  not  our  exhortation, 
when  the  wisdom  of  our  institutions  thus  inculcates  upon 
your  memory  the  bonds  which  you  have  given,  and  the  ab¬ 
solute  claim  which  God  and  his  people  have  so  firmly  es¬ 
tablished  against  you,  for  a  virtuous  life  and  conduct  not 
only  without  reproach  but  above  suspicion. 

You  are  the  ministers  of  the  sacraments  whose  efficacy, 
it  is  true,  is  derived  not  from  your  virtue,  but  from  the 

power  of  God,  the  merits  of  the  Saviour, 
Ministry  of  the  the  institution  of  Christ,  the  influence  of 

Sacraments.  the  Holy  Ghost  and  the  dispositions  of 

those  who  receive  them.  But  you  are  well 
aware  that  those  dispositions  are  more  or  less  excited  as 


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49 


your  conduct  is  more  or  less  beneficially  influential.  Does 
not  your  zeal,  beloved  brethren,  urge  you  powerfully  to 
increase  the  blessings  of  your  people?  Alas!  how  has  it 
sometimes  happened  that  they  who  hesitated  between  duty 
and  temptation,  have  been  determined  to  neglect,  by  the 
tepidity,  by  the  worldly  spirit,  by  the  mere  want  of  conform¬ 
ity  between  his  appearance  and  his  station  in  the  pastor. 
We  do  not  here  allude  to  absolute  scandal,  nor  to  gross 
neglect,  nor  even  a  disposition  to  vice  or  irregularity,  nor 
yet  to  such  a  dereliction  of  duty  as  would  deserve  our  official 
reprimand.  We  merely  advert  to  the  want  of  that  influence 
which  is  naturally  created  by  the  presence  of  a  man  whose 
correct  demeanour  proclaims  that  he  is  a  priest  of  God. 
When  you  look  around  you,  beloved  brethren,  you  will 
agree  with  us  and  with  all  those  who  have  narrowly  in¬ 
spected  our  concerns  in  all  places  and  ages,  that  the  ex¬ 
ample  of  a  pious  and  zealous  clergyman  though  of  limited 
attainments  is  a  richer  treasure  to  the  Church,  than  talents 
and  learning  and  eloquence  united.  When  Samuel  reviewed 
the  children  of  Isai,  the  voice  of  the  Lord  declared,  “look 
not  on  his  countenance,  nor  on  the  height  of  his  stature,  be¬ 
cause  I  have  rejected  him,  nor  do  I  judge  according  to  the 
look  of  man,  for  man  seeth  those  things  that  appear,  but 
the  Lord  beholdeth  the  heart.”1  It  is  some  humble  one 
whom  the  mighty  overlook,  hut  who  is  fiilled  with  the 
spirit  of  his  state,  that  God  frequently  chooses  to  go  forth 
against  the  blasphemer  before  whom  the  stoutest  warriors 
have  quailed,  though  unprovided  with  sword  or  spear  or 
shield,  yet  to  triumph  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts. 

We  live  in  the  midst  of  a  world  that  scrutinizes  our  con¬ 
duct  with  habitual  jealousy;  the  most  perfect  amongst  us 
are  liable  to  have  their  very  best  actions 
misconstrued,  their  sayings  misinterpreted.  Clerical 
their  motives  unappreciated,  and  their  im-  Life, 
perfections  magnified  and  blazoned  forth 
to  public  observation.  It  is  natural  that  this  should  be  the 
case,  because  since  we  are  established  as  censors  of  the  con¬ 
duct  of  others,  human  nature  urges  upon  them  the  inquiry 
into  our  own  demeanour;  and  that  self-love  whose  dominion 


1  1  Kings  xvl.  7. 


50  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

we  all  feel,  is  gratified  at  the  discovery  of  what  appears 
to  palliate  the  aberration  of  the  observer.  Thus  they  who 
are  most  virtuous  in  the  ministry  can  with  difficulty  escape 
the  remarks  of  the  uncharitable,  and  the  general  disposi¬ 
tion  of  mankind  is  to  proclaim  our  faults  with  unsparing 
assiduity.  What  a  lesson  of  caution  to  us!  What  an  addi¬ 
tional  motive  to  excite  us  to  such  vigilance,  that  not  only 
shall  we  have  nothing  of  serious  reproach  against  ourselves, 
but  we  shall  afford  no  semblance  of  ground  for  others  to 
suspect  us!  You  must  yourselves  be  aware  of  a  temptation 
on  this  head  to  which  we  are  all  liable.  It  is  natural  when 
we  are  conscious  of  our  integrity,  to  assert  our  freedom, 
and  to  feel  indisposed  to  yield  to  unnecessary  restraint, 
because  others  choose  to  be  hypercritically  censorious. 
Some  too  will  allege  that  a  change  of  conduct  where  no 
crime  has  been  committed,  would  rather  argue  that  the  sus¬ 
picions  were  well  founded,  than  that  it  was  a  prudent  con¬ 
cession  for  the  public  good.  Generally  speaking,  we  should 
on  such  occasions  recollect  that  declaration  of  the  apostle, 
“wherefore  if  meat  scandalize  my  brother,  I  will  never 
eat  flesh,  lest  I  should  scandalize  my  brother.”2 

We  are  led  from  this  topick  to  another  that  fills  us  with 
painful  recollections.  The  Saviour  declared  wo  to  the 

world  because  of  scandals,  and  also  fore- 
Scandals.  told  that,  owing  to  the  imperfection  of  our 
nature  and  the  evil  propensities  of  the  hu¬ 
man  race,  scandals  must  come;  but  he  denounced  his  wrath 
against  those  by  whose  fault  these  evils  would  arise.  We 
trust,  and  are  disposed  to  believe,  reverend  brethren,  that 
few  if  any  of  you  are  likely  to  incur  this  malediction;  yet 
we  cannot  forget  that  it  was  chiefly  through  the  misconduct 
of  clergymen  that  several  occasions  of  lamentable  schism 
were  given  in  our  province.  How  has  the  progress  of  re¬ 
ligion  been  impeded!  How  have  strife  and  tumult  profaned 
the  sanctuary  of  the  God  of  peace!  How  have  we  been  ex¬ 
posed  to  the  unpleasant  observations  of  our  fellow  citizens! 
How  have  our  most  sacred  rights  been  thoughtlessly  and 
criminally  invaded!  How  has  the  venerable  spouse  of  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  been  ridiculed  and  insulted!  How 


2  1  Cor.  viii.  13. 


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51 


many  criminal  souls  have  been  precluded  from  a  return  to 
mercy!  How  many  of  the  wavering  have  been  thrown  back 
in  despair!  How  many  have  been  driven  from  the  sacra¬ 
ments!  How  many  of  the  faithful  and  firm  have  been  op¬ 
pressed  with  anguish  and  shame!  In  other  days  and  in 
other  nations  the  crimes  of  the  clergy  have  caused  the  deg¬ 
radation  of  the  Church,  the  contempt  of  the  institutions  of 
religion,  sanctioned  the  vices  of  the  laity,  been  the  sources 
of  schism,  and  the  origin  of  heresy.  If  we  look  over  the 
dark  catalogue  from  the  time  of  Nicholas  the  deacon  to  our 
own,  what  a  frightful  accumulation  is  presented  to  the  eye? 
We  would  invite  you  to  weep  with  us  over  this  abomination ! 
But  what  would  tears  avail?  Let  us  rather  call  upon  you  to 
aid  us  in  guarding  our  infant  churches  against  such  dread¬ 
ful  calamities  for  the  time  to  come;  and  though  you  should 
feel  that  we  ought  to  be  convinced,  as  we  are,  of  the  purity 
of  your  intentions,  the  correctness  of  your  demeanour,  and 
your  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God,  yet  you  will  acknowledge 
that  it  is  with  such  a  clergy,  and  under  such  circumstances, 
the  discipline  can  be  most  easily  established,  that  will  pre¬ 
serve  and  improve  those  dispositions  and  render  their  ef¬ 
fects  more  generally  beneficial.  It  is  from  men  of  such 
dispositions  we  can  with  great  confidence  require  the  cheer¬ 
ful  adoption  of  those  wholesome  restraints  of  ecclesiastical 
laws,  which  are  more  required  to  prevent  future  evils  than 
to  remedy  any  that  exist.  It  must,  however,  be  confessed 
that  owing  to  a  variety  of  circumstances  not  hitherto  under 
our  control,  our  organization  has  not  been  so  perfect,  nor 
our  observances  so  exact,  as  we  could  desire;  but  with  your 
zealous  co-operation  we  now  expect  to  make  considerable 
progress  towards  a  more  orderly  and  efficient  state  of  being. 

As  to  your  intercourse  with  the  world;  we  would  suggest 
that  you  always  remember  that  you  are  the  ambassadors 
of  Christ.  Let  the  dignity  of  your  vocation 
be  made  manifest  in  your  conversation,  in  Ambassadors 
your  attire,  and  in  the  becoming  gravity  of  of  Christ, 
your  conduct.  Your  flocks  may  find  suffi¬ 
cient  relaxation  and  amusement  in  their  intercourse  with 
each  other:  from  you  they  expect  instruction  for  the  service 
of  God,  not  suggestions  as  to  the  regulation  of  their  own 


52  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

temporal  concerns  with .  which  you  should  scrupulously 
avoid  any  entanglement;  from  you  they  seek  useful  and  at¬ 
tractive  lessons  leading  to  virtue,  not  the  idle  and  frivolous 
amusements  or  conversations  of  the  day,  which  are  too 
often  calculated  to  wound  reputation,  to  disseminate  scandal, 
to  create  jealousies,  and  to  destroy  that  confidence,  without 
which  you  cannot  learn  the  state  of  that  conscience  which 
you  are  charged  to  direct;  from  you  they  derive  consolation 
in  their  afflictions,  and  when  they  are  disgusted  with  the 
bitterness  of  time,  you  should  point  out  the  manner  in  which 
they  may  attain  the  sweets  of  eternity.  But,  whilst  you 
treat  them  with  kindness  and  affection,  you  will  recollect 
the  bounds  within  which  this  affection  should  be  contained; 
and  be  watchful  that  your  kindness  be  not  liable  to  mis¬ 
construction.  In  general,  if  you  apply  yourselves  to  attain 
the  perfection  of  your  state,  you  will  be  seldom  abroad, 
and  very  little  in  society,  save  with  those  amongst  whom 
the  Saviour  was  generally  found  as  a  benefactor,  the  poor, 
the  afflicted  and  the  sick.  We  know  that  we  need  not  urge 
upon  you  the  solemn  and  indispensable  obligation  of  the 
most  devoted  attention  to  your  dear  children,  when  they  are 
about  to  be  summoned  before  the  tribunal,  at  which  you 
must  one  day  yourselves  be  arraigned,  and  when  sloth 
on  your  part  might  be  the  cause  of  eternal  ruin  to  a  soul 
which  needs  all  your  assiduity  to  prepare  it  for  the  benefits 
to  which  it  is  entitled  by  the  death  of  Christ. 

Many  things  that  may  appear  trivial,  are  to  you  impor¬ 
tant.  The  very  fashion  of  your  dress  is,  in  the  eye  of  the 
world,  calculated  to  elevate  or  to  depress  your  character, 
and  to  extend  or  restrict  your  usefulness.  In  almost  every 
organised  public  association,  such  a  subject  is  matter  of 
regulation;  the  soldier  who  loves  his  profession  is  laudably 
exact  in  its  regard;  and  however  philosophism  might  specm 
late,  every  practical  officer  will  feel  that  the  character  of 
the  individual  is  generally  ascertained  from  his  appearance. 
You  are  the  officers  of  the  militia  of  Christ.  You  bear  his 
commission.  Is  it  possible  that  there  can  be  found  one 
amongst  you  who  would  feel  disposed  to  conceal  the  dig¬ 
nity  with  which  he  is  invested?  Such  a  renegade  would  be 
unworthy  of  his  place.  Can  he  presume  to  seek  precedence 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  (1829) 


53 


in  the  church  who  is  disguised  in  the  world?  Is  he  ashamed 
of  that  station  to  which  he  sought,  with  so  much  earnest¬ 
ness,  to  be  raised?  He  should  be  forthwith  discharged  to 
make  room  for  one  more  worthy  of  the  honour.  The  canons 
of  the  church  equally  censure  the  thoughtless  folly  or  cen¬ 
surable  vanity  which  is  made  ridiculous  by  its  efforts  to  be 
fashionable,  and  the  unbecoming  slovenliness  which  de¬ 
grades  the  dignity  of  the  order,  by  the  meanness  of  the  in¬ 
dividual;  the  simple  cleanliness  of  the  attire  should  evince 
the  plain  innocence  of  the  wearer,  and  his  conformity  to  the 
regulations  of  the  church  should  manifest  the  esteem  in 
which  he  holds  its  authority. 

In  the  discharge  of  your  ritual  offices,  especially  in  offer¬ 
ing  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  and  the  administration 
of  the  sacraments,  we  would  intreat  you 
always  to  be  impressed  with  the  recollec-  The  Liturgy  of 
tion  that  you  are  continuing  the  ministry  the  Church, 
of  reconciliation  instituted  and  established 
by  the  Son  of  God  himself.  When  you  first  engaged  in  the 
awful  and  important  charge,  your  sentiments  were  of  the 
most  elevated  and  pious  description;  you  felt  that  you  were 
employed  in  the  palace  of  the  monarch  of  the  universe;  that 
you  stood  at  the  gate  of  heaven;  and  trembling  like  the 
patriarch  upon  the  mountain  when  he  consecrated  his  pil¬ 
lar,  you  were  aware  of  the  presence  of  your  God.  His 
sanctity  is  not  diminished,  but  your  familiarity  is  increased. 
You  should  be  extremely  careful  lest  this  intimacy  degen¬ 
erate  into  disrespect:  cherish  those  feelings  of  devotion  in 
which  you  originally  indulged,  and  as  you  advance  in  life, 
recollect  that  your  example  ought  to  be  more  edifying  for 
those  who  look  to  you  as  their  model.  When  you  observe 
the  exactness  which  God  himself  required  from  the  Aaron- 
itic  priesthood  in  the  most  minute  ceremonials,  you  must 
feel,  that  though  the  forms  are  not  the  essence  of  religion, 
they  are  useful  means  for  its  attainment  and  its  preserva¬ 
tion.  He  who  smote  Nadab  and  Abiu  before  the  altar,  per¬ 
mits  now  to  live,  several  upon  whom  his  lasting  indignation 
will  inflict  eternal  death  for  their  disregard  of  the  ceremon¬ 
ials  of  his  church.  If  you  have  zeal  for  the  Lord,  you  will 
love  the  beauty  of  his  house,  and  you  will  be  led  by  your 


54  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

piety  to  enter  fully  into  those  dispositions  which  your  holy 
vestments  signify,  to  appreciate  the  sublime  lessons  which 
our  rights  inculcate;  and  your  sense  of  charity  of  justice 
and  of  responsibility  will  procure  for  your  flocks  that  fre¬ 
quent  explanation,  without  which  what  is  presented  to  the 
eye  can  seldom  fully  enlighten  the  understanding  or  im¬ 
press  the  heart. 

We  are  placed,  beloved  and  reverend  brethren,  as  his 
substitutes  on  earth,  by  that  good  shepherd  who  laid  down 

his  life  for  his  sheep;  he  instructs  us  in  that 
Priestly  parable  where  he  exhibits  the  true  pastor 
Zeal.  as  leaving,  for  the  moment,  those  who  were 

obedient  to  his  voice,  that  he  might  with 
zealous  anxiety,  seek  for  that  which  strayed  in  the  desert, 
not  to  injure,  not  to  drive,  not  to  exhibit  his  anger,  for  he 
was  meek  and  humble,  but  to  caress  and  to  bring  it  back 
upon  his  shoulders,  and  in  serenity  to  rejoice  that  what  had 
been  lost  was  recovered.  Such  too  was  the  conduct  of  our 
great  predecessors  in  the  ministry,  the  Apostles  of  Christ 
and  their  successors,  who  bore  his  name  before  kings  and 
rulers  and  the  nations  of  the  earth:  they  reproved  vice,  but 
they  mildly  gained  upon  the  sinner,  and  powerfully  drew 
him  to  the  society  of  the  elect.  Alas!  brethren,  how  afflict¬ 
ing  would  be  the  spectacle  should  we  behold  one  of  our  fel- 
low-laborourers  negligent  and  careless,  whilst  the  ravagers 
of  the  fold  make  incursions  on  every  side,  and  bear  away 
thousands  to  destruction?  Such  an  one  might  allege  that 
he  had  done  all  that  his  duty  required;  that  he  perceived 
farther  exertion  was  useless.  This  is  not  the  language  of  a 
good  shepherd  of  souls:  he  considers  himself  to  be  a  useless 
servant  after  he  has  done  not  merely  what  a  prescribed 
rule  would  indicate  as  the  lowest  point  where  he  ceases  to 
be  censurable  before  a  human  tribunal,  but  when  he  has 
spent  himself  in  the  service  of  God,  and  in  the  salvation  of 
those  for  whom  he  is  accountable.  When  we  contemplate 
the  energy  of  Peter,  the  labours  of  Paul,  the  zeal  of  the 
sons  of  Zebedee,  the  unceasing  efforts  of  their  associates 
and  followers,  and  contrast  them  with  our  own  inefficiency, 
how  are  we  humbled  and  put  to  silence!  These  were  men 
of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy:  its  accumulated  wealth 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  (1829) 


55 


and  power  had  been  no  adequate  recompence  for  their  toils, 
their  sacrifices  and  their  success:  they  sought  a  more  last¬ 
ing  inheritance,  a  more  splendid  reward;  their  virtuous  am¬ 
bition  has  been  gratified;  they  have  sent  myriads  to  bliss, 
and  God  found  them  worthy  of  himself.  They  were  slain 
on  earth;  they  are  crowned  in  Heaven.  Surely  brethren,  it 
is  not  for  the  perishable  things  of  this  world  that  you 
labour.  You  are  intent  upon  fulfilling  the  duties  of  your  high 
calling,  in  accordance  with  the  institutions  of  him  who  sent 
forth  our  great  forerunners,  telling  them  to  go  without  scrip 
or  bread  or  money;  and  yet  they  were  so  aided  by  him, 
whose  hand  feeds  all  his  creatures,  that  they  wanted  noth¬ 
ing.  Brethren,  we  have  no  cause  to  suspect  you  of  avarice 
which  is  the  root  of  evil;  but  blame  us  not,  if  we  still  ex¬ 
hort  you,  that  in  the  performance  of  your  duties  you  seek 
rather  the  souls  of  your  people  than  their  contributions. 
And  we  remind  those  who  are  by  far  the  greater  number 
of  our  associates,  those  who  feel  the  difficulties  of  very 
limited  means,  that  they  are  thus  assimilated  to  our  Re¬ 
deemer  himself,  to  him  who  lived  in  poverty,  declaring  that 
the  birds  of  the  air  had  nests,  and  the  foxes  had  dens,  but 
he  had  not  a  place  wherein  to  lay  his  head;  they  may  also 
feel  another  consolation,  for  they  can  declare,  as  he  did, 
that  through  them  the  gospel  is  preached  to  the  poor.  In 
their  ministry,  there  is  little  room  for  an  unholy  ambition, 
little  excitement  to  vanity,  little  danger  of  human  respect: 
they  are  not  tempted  to  destroy  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  in 
the  effort  to  conciliate  the  rich  and  the  powerful  by  basely 
reconciling  to  its  letter  that  very  conduct  which  it  has  writ¬ 
ten  to  condemn.  Their  station  is  obscure  in  the  eye  of 
the  world,  but  in  the  sight  of  angels  it  is  most  honourable; 
they  walk  in  the  valleys  of  life,  there  is  less  danger  of  their 
stumbling  over  those  precipices  with  which  the  more  ele¬ 
vated  paths  abound;  their  way  is  more  plain  and  more  se¬ 
cure,  and  theirs  is  the  road  through  which  the  great  ma¬ 
jority  of  those  who  now  reign  in  Heaven  have  unostenta¬ 
tiously  proceeded  to  their  happy  abode. 

It  will  occasionally  happen,  beloved  brethren,  that 
temptations  of  another  kind  will  prove  dangerous.  When 
we  find,  notwithstanding  all  our  efforts,  that  no  progress  is 


56 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


made,  wearied,  disheartened  and  disgusted,  we  seek  to 
change  the  station  of  our  labours.  We  despair  at  our  abil¬ 
ity  to  stem  the  torrent  of  vice.  Were  our  dependence  upon 
ourselves  we  might  well  despair, — but  our  sufficiency  is 
from  God,  in  whose  hands  are  the  hearts  of  men;  and  it  is 
not  given  to  us  to  know  the  day  nor  the  hour  which  the 
Father  has  fixed  for  the  conversion  of  his  children.  It  is 
our  duty  to  plant  and  to  water,  it  is  his  prerogative  to  be¬ 
stow  the  increase — let  us  be  assiduous  in  the  performance 
of  that  which  is  ours,  and  leave  the  rest  to  his  disposal. 
Did  the  men  who  converted  nations  succeed  at  once?  Had 
they  upon  every  similar  disappointment  abandoned  their 
charge,  would  those  nations  have  been  Christian  to-day? 
In  general,  they  who  sowed  did  not  reap,  but  others  entered 
into  the  field  where  they  had  laboured,  and  gathered  the 
fruit;  but  this  fruit  could  not  have  been  produced  had  not 
he  who  first  persevered  upon  a  stubborn  soil  subdued  it  to 
cultivation.  How  often  was  it  necessary  that  its  sterility 
should  be  enriched  with  not  only  the  sweat  but  the  very 
blood  of  faithful  husbandmen?  You  have  not  yet  been 
called  upon  to  endure  unto  blood. — Perhaps  in  the  order  of 
Providence  the  fruit  is  withheld  for  a  time  and  given  to 
another  for  your  advantage:  lest  you  glory  as  if  the  increase 
was  from  you  and  not  from  God.  It  would  be  a  melancholy 
result  if,  whilst  you  opened  the  gates  of  glory  to  others,  you 
should  yourselves  be  cast  forth  in  disgrace.  Labour  to  re¬ 
move  this  obstacle,  in  the  manner  that  is  described  by  the 
great  Apostle  of  nations,  who  feared  lest  whilst  he  preached 
to  others  he  should  become  a  reprobate  himself.  Brethren, 
we  have  never  seen  a  people  obdurate  where  their  pastor 
was  truly  pious;  where  he  did  not  mistake  a  repulsive  pride 
for  superior  virtue  of  his  own;  where  he  did  not  imagine 
that  human  passion  was  a  zeal  for  God’s  honour;  but  in 
those  places  where  zeal  was  regulated  by  discretion  and 
charity,  where  the  pastor  was  patient,  vigilant,  laborious, 
and  affectionate  to  his  people,  he  won  their  favour;  he 
gained  upon  their  obduracy;  he  secured  their  confidence, 
and  was  successful  in  bringing  them  to  God. 

Even  to  those  who  oppose  you  whilst  you  firmly  adhere 
to  those  principles  which  it  would  be  criminal  to  abandon, 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  (1829) 


57 


be  meek,  be  charitable,  be  courteous,  be  kind;  not  returning 
evil  for  evil,  not  using  scurrility  which  would  be  equally  de¬ 
grading  to  your  characters  as  men  and  as  Christians,  and 
altogether  unbecoming  the  ministers  of  God.  When  they 
misrepresent,  correct  in  the  calmness  of  conscious  truth: 
if  they  speak  evil,  bear  it  in  imitation  of  him  who  did  not 
reprove  when  he  was  ill  spoken  of.  Preserve  always  in 
yourselves  the  disposition  to  “love  your  enemies,  to  do 
good  to  them  who  hate  you,  and  to  pray  for  them  that 
persecute  and  calumniate  you,  that  you  may  be  children  of 
your  Father  who  is  in  Heaven,  who  makes  his  sun  to  rise 
upon  the  good  and  the  bad,  and  rains  upon  the  just  and 
the  unjust.”  Ask  your  Father  to  forgive  them,  because 
owing  to  unfortunate  circumstances  several  of  them,  we  are 
convinced,  know  not  what  they  do.  Have  charity  for  all 
men,  it  is  the  bond  of  peace,  and  one  of  the  characteristics 
of  the  children  of  God. 

Of  one  other  duty,  brethren,  we  would  affectionately  but 
earnestly  remind  you. — The  solicitude  for  the  instruction  of 
youth.  Continue  your  efforts  in  this  most 
useful  and  indispensable  line  of  duty.  Instructing 
Thus  will  you  render  comparatively  light  the  Young, 
and  incalculably  more  beneficial,  the  la¬ 
bours  of  yourselves  and  of  your  successors.  If  the  great 
truths  of  religion  be  not  deeply  inculcated  upon  the  youth¬ 
ful  mind,  your  discourses  will  be  scarcely  intelligible  to 
those  who  will  have  been  left  untaught;  they  know  not  the 
facts  to  which  you  allude;  they  do  not  appreciate  the  prin¬ 
ciples  from  which  you  reason;  they  do  not  feel  the  obliga¬ 
tions  which  you  enforce;  your  assertions  appear  to  be  un¬ 
founded,  and  they  grow  weary  of  hearing  what  they  cannot 
understand:  you  beat  the  air  and  spend  yourself  without 
advantage.  Unless  you  watch  over  them  when  they  are  first 
exposed  to  temptation,  they  will  be  robbed  of  their  inno¬ 
cence,  they  will  lose  their  horror  for  vice,  they  will  be  famil¬ 
iarised  with  crime,  and  when  their  habits  are  thus  formed  in 
early  life,  what  prospect  can  you  have  of  successfully  en¬ 
grafting  virtue  upon  this  stock  of  evil  which  has  been  deeply 
rooted  in  a  soil  of  sin?  What  a  task  do  you  leave  for  your 
successors!  What  an  account  have  you  to  render  to  the 


58  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

Great  Father  of  those  children  entrusted  to  your  care!  Be¬ 
loved,  we  rejoice  to  behold  you  assiduous  in  the  instruction 
of  youth.  0!  it  is  a  godlike,  though  to  a  man  a  laborious 
occupation;  it  is  indeed  redeeming  a  world,  or  rather,  it  is 
creating  a  new  earth  as  the  preparation  for  a  new  Heaven. 
How  we  do  rejoice  and  bless  God  at  beholding  the  venerable 
institutions  of  our  Church  springing  up  to  your  aid!  Do,  we 
entreat  of  you,  encourage  and  cherish  those  pious  souls 
that  so  meritoriously  devote  themselves  to  the  instruction 
of  children  in  the  way  of  the  God  of  truth. 

Doing  these  things,  beloved  and  reverend  brethren,  you 
will  add  to  our  joy;  you  will  find  in  your  own  souls  that 

peace  which  the  world  cannot  give;  you 

Conclusion.  will  save  your  people,  you  will  procure 

honour  for  the  Church  of  God.  Walk 
steadily  in  that  way  which  we  have  endeavoured  to  point 
out;  and  you  cannot  fail  to  arrive  at  that  paradise  in  which 
the  just  expect  you.  But  if  you  become  distracted  by  the 
allurements  of  those  who  would  decoy  you;  if  you  lose  sight 
of  the  track  in  which  you  have  been  placed;  if  you  be  occu¬ 
pied  with  other  cares  and  become  regardless  of  the  admoni¬ 
tions  that  have  been  so  frequently  repeated;  if,  instead  of 
pressing  forward  with  energy  to  that  crown  of  glory  which 
is  only  to  be  attained  at  the  termination  of  your  course, 
you  seek  some  resting  place  where  you  may  indulge  your¬ 
self  with  worldly  gratifications,  your  labours  will  have 
been  useless,  your  progress  unavailing,  the  shades  of  evening 
will  descend  before  you  expect  them,  night  will  close 
around  you,  and  you  will  grope  about,  in  all  probability, 
to  destruction. 

May  God  avert  so  dreadful  a  calamity  from  us  and  from 
those  whom  we  love  with  sincere  affection.  “Dearly  beloved, 
we  trust  better  things  of  you,  and  nearer  to  salvation; 
though  thus  we  speak.  For  God  is  not  unjust,  that  he  should 
forget  your  work  and  the  love  which  you  have  shown  in  his 
name,  you  who  have  ministered,  and  do  minister  to  the 
saints.  And  we  desire  that  every  one  of  you  should  show 
forth  the  same  carefulness  to  the  accomplishing  of  hope  unto 
the  end:  that  you  become  not  slothful,  but  followers  of  them 
who  through  faith  and  patience  shall  inherit  the  prom- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  (1829) 


59 


ises.”3  Thus  shall  you  “come  to  mount  Sion  and  to  the  city 
of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  the  company 
of  many  thousands  of  angels,  and  to  the  church  of  the  first 
born  who  are  written  in  the  heavens,  and  to  God  the  judge  of 
all,  and  to  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,  and  to  Jesus 
the  mediator  of  the  new  testament,” 4  through  whom  we  have 
received  grace,  and  from  whom  we  expect  the  glory  of  re¬ 
demption,  being  sprinkled  and  sanctified  with  his  blood. 

“The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your  spirit, 
brethren.  Amen.” 

Given  in  council  at  Baltimore  this  17th  day  of  October , 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord ,  1829. 

^James,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

■^Benedict  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Bardstown. 

*hJoHN,  Bishop  of  Charleston  and  V.  G.  of  East  Florida . 

■EEdward,  Bishop  of  Cincinnati. 

^Joseph,  Bishop  of  St.  Louis  and  Administrator  of  New 
Orleans. 

■^Benedict  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Boston. 

William  Matthews,  V.  A.  and  Administrator  of  Phila¬ 
delphia. 

Edward  Damphoux,  D.D.,  Secretary. 


3  Heb.  vi.  9,  10,  11,  12. 


4  Heb.  xli.  22. 


CHAPTER  IV 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 

THAT  continual  legislation  for  the  Church  in  this  country 
was  necessary  owing  to  the  many  rapid  changes  which 
occurred  during  these  years,  is  evident  from  the  number  of 
Provincial  Councils  held  from  1829  to  1849.  The  first  seven 
Provincial  Councils  of  Baltimore  were  practically,  though 
not  formally,  National  Councils  of  the  Church  in  the  United 
States.  The  Acta  et  Decreta  of  these  seven  Provincial  Coun¬ 
cils  will  be  found  in  the  collection:  Concilia  Provincialia 
Baltimori  habita  ab  anno  1829  usque  ad  annum  18W  (Balti¬ 
more,  1853).  The  Council  of  1829  decided  that  within  three 
years  the  hierarchy  should  meet  to  report  upon  the  progress 
made  in  unifying  Church  discipline  in  the  United  States.  While 
its  public  decisions  are  silent  regarding  the  method  of  filling 
vacant  Sees  in  the  American  Church,  there  is  considerable  con¬ 
temporary  evidence  to  show  that  this  grave  problem  which  dis¬ 
turbed  the  peace  of  the  Church  from  the  days  of  Carroll,  occu¬ 
pied  the  minds  of  the  prelates  during  its  private  sessions.  It 
is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  the  question  was  seriously 
discussed  when  the  Second  Provincial  Council  met  at  Baltimore 
in  1833.  Under  the  presidency  of  Archbishop  Whitfield,  nine 
bishops,  whose  names  are  signed  to  the  pastoral  of  1833,  were 
assembled  on  October  20,  1833,  and  deliberated  for  a  week  on 
Church  problems.  The  prelates  were  not  unmindful  of  all  that 
the  Church  in  the  United  States  owed  to  the  generosity  of  the 
priests  and  people  of  Ireland,  France,  Germany  and  Austria; 
but  it  was  felt  at  the  time  that  the  days  of  a  quasi-paternalism 
of  a  foreign  kind  were  passed,  and  that  the  American  Church 
had  grown  to  maturity.  In  the  third  decree  enacted  by  the 
Second  Council  a  more  definite  delimitation  of  the  American 
dioceses  was  suggested  to  Propaganda,  and  a  fixed  method  of 
selecting  bishops  for  vacant  American  Sees  was  outlined.  The 
Holy  See  readily  agreed  to  these  important  modifications. 
Other  decrees  of  the  Council  recommended  the  Jesuit  missions 
among  the  Indians  of  the  Far  West,  the  erection  of  diocesan 
seminaries,  and  the  creation  of  a  more  efficient  Catholic  pa- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 


61 


rochial  school  system.  A  committee  was  also  appointed  to  in¬ 
quire  into  the  textbooks  then  in  use  in  the  American  schools, 
which  contained  erroneous  views  on  matters  of  Catholic  faith 
and  discipline. 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833  is  a  mirror  in  which  we  can 
easily  read  the  status  of  Catholic  life  at  the  time.  The  bishops 
deplored  especially  the  want  of  priests  and  the  lack  of  sufficient 
churches  for  the  rapidly  increasing  body  of  the  faithful.  They 
exhorted  all  who  could  not  hear  Mass  on  Sundays  and  holydays 
to  meet  together  for  prayer  and  catechetical  instruction.  They 
appealed  in  particular  to  their  flocks  not  to  lose  courage  in  the 
face  of  the  vicious  attacks  upon  the  faith  which  unfortunately 
were  prevalent  at  the  time.  Catholic  Emancipation  in  the  Brit¬ 
ish  Isles  had  evoked  much  hostile  comment  in  England  and  in 
the  United  States,  and  a  steadily  increasing  current  of  anti-Cath- 
olic  feeling,  as  Shea  has  written,  “was  gaining  ground  steadily 
and  becoming,  though  no  one  seemed  to  comprehend  the  fact,  a 
menace  to  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the  country.”  The  Fathers 
of  the  Council  foresaw  the  danger  and  embodied  in  their  Pas¬ 
toral  a  stirring  appeal  to  the  faithful  to  be  patient  and  cour¬ 
ageous  in  the  crisis.  The  following  reprint  is  taken  from  the 
New  York  Weekly  Register  of  1833. 1 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 

( Second  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore) 

Reverend  Brethren  of  the  Clergy  and  beloved  of  the  Laity: 
Grace  be  to  you  and  peace,  from  God  our  Father,  and 
from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

r^ESIROUS  of  fulfilling  our  duty  in  your  regard,  by  con- 
suiting  how  provision  might  be  made  for  the  wants  of 
our  infant  churches,  how  discipline  might  be  promoted,  and 
how  faith  might  be  secured,  we  have,  under  the  sanction 
of  ancient  and  Apostolic  usage,  and  in  accordance  with  the 
spirit  of  the  canons,  assembled  to  deliberate.  In  the  per¬ 
formance  of  this  duty  we  sought  the  divine  aid,  through  the 
promise  of  Him  who  declared  that  where  two  or  three  were 
assembled  in  His  name,  He  would  be  in  the  midst  of  them; 
and  Who  encouraged  us  moreover  by  the  assurance,  that  He 

l  Vol.  I.,  pp.  130-131,  162-163,  177-178. 


62  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

would  not  leave  in  orphanage  those  who,  however  unworthy 
they  might  be,  had  been  commissioned  to  be  ambassadors 
to  testify  to  His  doctrine,  ministers  to  dispense  His  sacra¬ 
ments,  and  bishops  placed  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  weighty 
charge  of  governing  that  Church  which  had  been  purchased 
by  the  blood  of  an  incarnate  God. 

We  have  submitted  to  the  See  of  Peter,  the  centre  of  the 
Catholic  unity,  that  Church,  to  which,  because  of  its  superior 
presidency,  every  other  of  those  spread  through  the  world 
should  have  recourse,  the  results  of  our  deliberations;  that 
if  conformable  to  the  faith  and  general  discipline  of  the 
Church,  those  portions  upon  which  we  are  competent  to  leg¬ 
islate  might  receive  their  perfection  by  the  acquiescence  of 
the  Holy  Father;  and  that  he  might,  at  our  request,  be  in¬ 
duced  to  interpose  the  authority  of  the  Apostolic  See  for 
the  performance  of  what  is  beyond  our  office  to  effect.  But 
we  cannot  separate,  without  addressing  to  you,  our  glory 
and  our  joy,  some  words  of  admonition  as  the  token  of  our 
affection,  the  evidence  of  our  solicitude,  and  the  fulfilment 
of  our  duty. 

Beloved  brethren,  “what  will  it  profit  a  man  to  gain  the 
whole  world,  if  he  lose  his  own  soul?” — When  the  eye  is 

closed  by  death,  the  riches  of  the  world  are 
The  Meaning  valueless  as  the  dust  of  its  surface;  its  en- 
of  Life.  joyments  cease  to  gratify,  its  honours  are 

but  empty  names,  the  object  of  its  chil¬ 
dren’s  ambition  have  disappeared  like  so  many  floating 
bubbles  which  enchanted  the  eye,  but  perished  in  the  grasp; 
the  simpleton  and  the  beggar  walk  over  the  graves  of  the 
philosopher  and  the  monarch.  “What  then  doth  pride  profit 
us,  or  what  advantage  doth  the  boasting  of  riches  bring?” 
We  pass  along  like  the  bird  swiftly  going  through  the  air 
which  closes  upon  his  track;  and  in  vain  you  seek  for  the 
path  in  which  he  moved.  Our  journey  is  to  the  portal  of 
the  tomb;  beyond  which  there  opens  the  expansion  of  eter¬ 
nity.  “There  the  just  shall  live  for  evermore:  and  their 
reward  is  with  the  Lord,  and  the  care  of  them  with  the  Most 
High.”  “It  shall  go  well”  then  “with  him  that  feareth  the 
Lord;  and  in  the  days  of  his  end  shall  he  be  blessed.” — 
Even  upon  this  earth  “the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  honour  and 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 


63 


glory  and  gladness,  and  a  crown  of  joy.  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  shall  delight  the  heart,  and  shall  give  joy  and  gladness 
and  length  of  days.” 

They  who  are  wise,  then,  seek  by  the  affectionate  fear  of 
the  Lord  to  serve  him  upon  earth,  that  they  may  attain  his 
enjoyment  in  Heaven.  To  save  our  souls,  through  the  merits 
of  our  Blessed  Redeemer,  should  be  our  great  object.  In  this 
we  are  all  deeply  interested;  it  is  indeed  the  only  thing  neces¬ 
sary,  for  again,  beloved  brethren,  we  ask,  “What  will  it 
profit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole  world,  if  he  lose  his  own 
soul?”  In  our  several  stations  this  should  be  our  common 
effort,  as  it  is  our  common  concern.  And  it  is  the  special 
obligation  of  your  bishops,  as  you  know,  entreating  and 
comforting  you  (as  a  father  doeth  his  children)  to  testify 
to  every  one  of  you  that  you  should  walk  worthy  of  God 
who  hath  called  you  to  his  kingdom  and  glory,  that  thus 
they  may  contribute  to  feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is 
amongst  them,  taking  care  thereof,  not  by  constraint,  but 
willingly  according  to  God:  neither  for  the  sake  of  filthy 
lucre,  but  voluntarily:  neither  as  domineering  over  the 
clergy,  but  as  being  made  a  pattern  of  the  flock  from  the 
heart.  And  this,  indeed,  we  daily  entreat  of  God  to  enable 
us  to  perform,  and  we  beseech  you  that  by  your  prayers  at 
the  throne  of  grace,  you  would  make  intercession  in  our 
behalf. 

You  are  aware  that  as  in  the  first  Adam  we  all  fell,  so 
in  the  second  Adam  (Jesus  Christ)  we  must  be  redeemed; 
and  that  this  bountiful  Saviour  so  copiously  poured  forth 
his  favours,  as  that  where  sin  abounded,  grace  abounded 
more.  Hence,  though  by  prevarication  of  our  first  father 
our  understanding  was  darkened,  so  that  various  impedi¬ 
ments  arose  to  render  the  discovery  of  the  truth  difficult; 
our  will  was  weakened  by  a  serious  diminution  of  its  energy, 
and  our  affections  greatly  inclined  to  evil,  so  that  a  sort  of 
predisposition  thereto  exists  within  us,  and  the  power  of 
the  tempter  was  greatly  enlarged;  still  when  the  Orient, 
foretold  by  the  prophet  whose  tongue  was  loosed,  beamed 
upon  those  who  sat  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death, 
the  minds  of  the  multitude  were  enlightened  by  the  splen¬ 
dour  of  faith;  their  will  received  a  mighty  accession  of 


64  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

energy,  and,  cheered  by  invigorating  warmth,  their  affec¬ 
tions  began  to  glow  with  the  ardour  of  heavenly  love;  not 
only  did  virtue  and  wisdom  now  appear  to  them  arrayed  in 
the  beauty  of  heaven,  but  the  hearts  of  the  beholders  were 
attracted  towards  them  by  the  purest  emotions  of  admiration 
and  attachment.  The  head  of  the  serpent  had  also  been 
crushed  by  the  seed  of  that  woman,  for  whose  heel  he  had 
lain  in  wait,  and  a  bright  stream  of  celestial  light  marked 
through  the  dark  and  immense  chaos  which  intervened 
between  the  heaven  and  the  earth,  that  way  which  had  been 
opened  by  him  who  having  ransomed  us  by  his  blood,  rose 
from  his  tomb  like  a  giant  refreshed  by  sleep,  and  arraying 
himself  in  that  splendour  which  was  his  before  the  morning 
of  creation,  led  the  first  saints  from  their  detention  below, 
to  their  seats  of  glory  above. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  us  to  remind  you  that  it  is  only  by 
the  merits  of  your  Saviour,  through  the  mercy  of  your  God, 

this  heavenly  bliss  can  be  attained.  His 
Supernatural  grace  is  not  a  natural  aid,  which  merely 
Grace.  increases  the  energies  that  were  yours  by 
reason  of  your  creation:  neither  have  you 
any  natural  claim  or  inherent  right  thereto;  nor  when  he 
bestows  his  favours  are  we  left  without  the  power  of  resist¬ 
ance  and  rejection.  If  he  spreads  the  light  of  faith  around 
the  understanding;  yet,  alas!  how  many  are  there  who  close 
the  eye  and  will  not  be  illuminated!  They  are  wedded  to 
peculiar  and  favorite  opinions,  they  are  attached  to  friends 
they  love  the  honours,  and  the  applause,  and  the  pleasures 
of  the  world;  they  are  too  proud  to  avow  that  they  have 
been  misled  or  that  they  have  been  mistaken.  The  day  is 
clear,  and  the  objects  are  plainly  set  in  their  view,  but  they 
either  will  not  behold  them,  or  they  only  seek  for  imperfec¬ 
tions,  and  thus,  though  there  is  no  want  of  evidence,  there 
is  no  disposition  to  believe.  In  this  case  the  illustration 
which  the  Almighty  gives,  is  by  an  influence  above  the  force 
of  nature;  the  resistance  is  from  the  depravity  of  the  human 
heart,  consequent  to  the  fall  of  our  first  parents.  The  influ¬ 
ence  of  God  is  perceived  in  the  suggestions  that  urge  the  will 
to  determine  upon  embracing  the  truth,  but  the  freedom  of 
man  is  evinced  by  the  resistance  which  prevents  that  de- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833  65 

termination.  The  affections  are  drawn  by  the  influence  of 
the  Creator  towards  what  he  has  plainly  exhibited;  but  the 
creature,  too  frequently,  after  struggles  of  no  small  trial, 
preserves  the  attachments  which  impede  its  progress.  The 
supernatural  influence  of  heaven  is  sufficient  to  lead  us 
unto  justification;  if  the  being  upon  whom  it  is  exerted 
would  correspond  therewith,  this  aid  bestowed  by  reason 
of  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  is  accordingly  great;  yet,  though 
bountifully  given,  it  does  not  overwhelm  or  destroy  the 
freedom  of  the  agent.  It  is  the  free  gift  of  heaven  bestowed 
gratuitously  upon  us,  and  therefore  it  is  grace.  Without 
it  we  can  do  nothing  meritorious  of  heaven,  for  the  Saviour 
declared,  “As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself  unless 
it  abide  in  the  vine;  so  neither  can  you  unless  you  abide  in 
me.” 2 

Beware,  then,  my  beloved  brethren,  that  you  receive  not 
the  grace  of  God  in  vain.  We  exhort  you  not  only  to  corre¬ 
spond  faithfully  with  that  which  is  thus 
every  day  bestowed,  and  upon  every  one;  Prayer  and 
but  that  you  would  moreover,  use  your  best  Supplication, 
exertions  to  induce  your  Merciful  Father 
to  pour  it  forth  more  abundantly  upon  you.  And  for  this 
purpose  we  indicate  those  means  which  the  Saviour  has 
pointed  out  or  instituted  as  the  most  efficacious.  Prayer  is 
one  of  the  most  obvious,  as  it  is  the  most  useful.  Be  you 
therefore  instant  in  prayer.  Be  not  weary  of  supplication. 
Recollect  how,  whilst  Moses  lifted  up  his  hands  upon  the 
mountain  to  intreat  the  God  of  his  fathers,  Israel  prevailed 
against  Amelec  upon  the  plain;  but  if  the  intercessor  through 
weariness  permitted  his  arm  to  fall,  then  immediately  the 
ranks  of  his  people  were  broken,  and  the  enemy  became 
victorious.  “Elias  was  a  man  passable  unto  us:  and  with 
prayer  he  prayed  it  might  not  rain  upon  the  earth;  and  it 
rained  not  for  three  years  and  six  months.  And  he  prayed 
again:  and  the  heavens  gave  rain,  and  the  earth  yielded 
her  fruit.” — The  Saviour,  exhorting  us  to  pray,  assured  us, 
“Whatsoever  you  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that  will  I  do.” 
But  we  too  frequently  seem  to  forget  that  God  is  a  spirit 
who  seeketh  true  adorers  that  shall  worship  him  in  spirit 


2  John  x*v.  4. 


66  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

and  in  truth.  The  mere  motion  of  the  lips  is  not  prayer; 
the  mere  repetition  of  the  form  is  useless,  unless  the  senti¬ 
ments  expressed  by  the  mouth  be  also  entertained  by  the 
soul.  The  best  figure  of  acceptable  prayer  is  presented  to 
us  in  the  ancient  divine  institution  of  the  incense  burned 
morning  and  evening  to  accompany  the  oblation  of  the 
lamb.  If  our  hearts  be  purified  from  sin,  and  like  the  im¬ 
perishable  wood  of  which  the  altar  was  built,  they  be  free 
from  corruption;  if  they  be  enriched  with  virtue  as  that  altar 
was  covered  with  gold;  if  they  have  burning  within  them 
the  fire  of  divine  love;  then  will  our  prayers  ascend  to 
heaven  like  the  smoke  of  the  incense  consumed  in  that  fire; 
angels  will  present  our  aspirations  morning  and  evening, 
together  with  the  offering  of  that  lamb  that  was  slain  for 
our  iniquities,  and  by  whose  death  we  were  healed!  and  the 
benedictions  of  heaven  will  descend  upon  us  in  return.  From 
his  mercy-seat  the  Lord  himself  will  show  us  the  brightness 
of  his  approbation;  his  truth  shall  compass  us  with  a  shield; 
our  assailants  shall  fall  at  the  right  hand  and  the  left;  no 
evil  shall  come  to  us,  nor  shall  the  scourge  approach  our 
dwelling. 

Instruction  regarding  the  duties  we  owe  to  God,  and  the 
necessity  of  working  out  our  salvation,  is  all  important. 

Various  means  of  information  present 

The  Sacred  themselves  to  you.  For  our  brethren  in 

Scriptures.  the  ministry,  the  continual  study  of  the 

Holy  Bible  is  absolutely  of  obligation;  we 
need  not,  we  are  convinced,  remind  them  of  the  repeated 
injunctions  of  the  sacred  canons,  of  the  frequent  admoni¬ 
tions  of  the  eminent  saints  and  sages,  the  glorious  men  of 
erudition,  the  zealous  prelates,  and  so  many  others  of  every 
degree  in  the  Church  of  God,  who  have  so  earnestly  in¬ 
culcated  the  necessity  of  this  study  which  St.  Paul  so  highly 
commended  in  Timothy.  The  people  seek  the  law  from  the 
lips  of  the  priest,  and  how  shall  he  communicate  that  with 
which  he  has  not  been  intimately  conversant?  The  mean¬ 
ing  of  this  sacred  volume  has  been  too  frequently  perverted; 
for  in  it  are  “some  things  hard  to  be  understood,  which  the 
unlearned  and  unstable  wrest  to  their  own  perdition.”  We 
know  not  that  it  is  the  word  of  God,  except  by  the  testimony 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 


67 


of  that  cloud  of  holy  witnesses  which  the  Saviour  vouch¬ 
safed  to  established  as  our  guide  through  this  desert  over 
which  we  journey  towards  our  permanent  abode.  Together 
with  the  book  they  gave  to  us  the  testimony  of  its  mean¬ 
ing;  and  this  explanation  no  man  has  power  to  change. 
The  doctrines  of  faith  are  the  testimony  of  heaven,  and  that 
testimony  is  unchangeable.  “Jesus  Christ  is  yesterday,  to¬ 
day,  and  for  ever  the  same;”  these  doctrines  cannot  vary 
with  the  mutations  of  fashion,  the  progress  of  science,  the 
modifications  of  government,  or  the  caprices  of  age.  “God 
is  not  as  a  man  that  he  should  lie,  nor  as  the  son  of  man 
that  he  should  be  changed.”  The  progress  of  science  and  the 
improvements  arising  from  human  experience,  are  evi¬ 
dences  at  once,  of  the  imperfection  and  of  the  powers  of  the 
mind  which  remedies  former  defects  by  subsequent  infor¬ 
mation.  The  testimony  of  God  is  the  communication  of  a 
being  infinitely  perfect,  unsusceptible  of  improvement,  in¬ 
capable  of  change:  from  eternity  he  has  seen  all  things 
through  all  their  gradations  of  existence,  and  his  resolution 
stands,  unchanging,  and  is  available  for  eternity;  all  things 
else  may  vary,  but  his  declarations  are  unalterably  perfect; 
hence  the  Apostle  of  the  Corinthians  reminds  them  that  the 
preaching  of  himself  and  of  Silvanus  and  Timothy  was  not 
“It  is  and  it  is  not,  but  it  is,"  for  revealed  truth  could  not  be 
contradictory,  but  must  be  consistent.  Upon  the  same  prin¬ 
ciples  he  informs  the  Galatians,  “though  we,  or  an  angel 
from  heaven,  preach  a  gospel  to  you  besides  that  we  have 
preached  to  you,  let  him  be  anathema,”  because  truth  is  es¬ 
sentially  irreformable,  and  the  declarations  of  God  are  es¬ 
sentially  true.  Thus  the  recorded  testimony  of  those  ancient 
and  venerable  witnesses,  who  in  every  nation  and  every  age, 
proclaimed  in  the  name  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  with 
its  approbation,  the  interpretation  of  the  Holy  Bible, 
whether  they  were  assembled  in  their  councils  or  dis¬ 
persed  over  the  surface  of  the  Christian  world,  is  an  har¬ 
monious  collection  of  pure  light,  which  sheds  upon  the  in¬ 
spired  page  the  mild  lustre  which  renders  it  pleasing  to  the 
eye,  grateful  to  the  understanding,  and  consoling  to  the 
heart.  By  thus  learning  the  true  sense  and  meaning  of  the 
divine  writings,  Reverend  and  learned  brethren,  you  will 


68  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

“keep  that  committed  to  your  truth,  avoiding  the  profane 
novelties  of  words,  and  oppositions  of  knowledge  falsely  so 
called;”  you  will  “shun  profane  and  vain  speeches;  for  they 
grow  much  towards  impiety;”  you  will  be  easily  distin¬ 
guished  from  those  who  are  “always  learning  and  never  at¬ 
taining  to  the  knowledge  of  truth;”  you  will  “continue  in 
the  things  you  have  learned,  and  which  have  been  com¬ 
mitted  to  you;”  you  will  “hold  the  form  of  sound  words,” 
which  you  have  heard  from  us  and  from  our  predecessors 
in  the  faith,  and  in  the  love  of  Christ  Jesus. 

To  you,  our  brethren  of  the  laity,  we  would  recom¬ 
mend  frequent  perusal  of  the  same  books  of  instruction  ac¬ 
cording  to  your  opportunities,  capacities, 
Spiritual  and  dispositions,  always,  however,  in  the 
Reading.  spirit  of  humble,  docile  desire  of  being  led 
by  the  spirit  of  truth  into  the  way  of  piety, 
avoiding  “vain  talk,  not  desiring  to  be  teachers  of  the  law,” 
when  too  often  you  might  become  like  others  described  by 
the  Apostle,  “understanding  neither  the  things  they  say,  nor 
whereof  they  affirm.”  “Not  contending  in  words,  for  it  is 
to  no  profit,  but  to  the  subversion  of  the  hearers.”  Be  con¬ 
stant  at  preaching  and  the  other  instruction  in  your 
churches;  sustain,  as  far  as  your  means  will  permit,  those 
publications,  whether  periodical  or  otherwise,  which  are 
calculated  to  explain  our  doctrines,  to  protect  our  feelings, 
and  to  increase  our  devotion.  We  rejoice  to  find  that  their 
number  is  rapidly  increasing,  and  we  trust  to  your  zeal, 
your  piety  and  your  liberality,  to  encourage  their  publish¬ 
ers  by  your  patronage,  and  to  profit  yourselves  by  their 
perusal. 

Beloved  and  reverend  brethren,  our  co-operators  in  the 
work  of  ministry,  we  would,  in  the  sincerity  of  our  affection, 

-  address  to  you,  in  particular,  those  words 

Exhortation  of  the  Apostle  to  Timothy:  “Meditate 
to  the  Clergy,  upon  these  things;  be  wholly  in  these 

things;  that  your  proficiency  may  be  made 
manifest  to  all.  Attend  to  yourselves,  and  to  doctrines;  be 
earnest  in  them,  for  in  doing  this  you  shall  save  both  your¬ 
selves  and  those  who  hear  you.”  There  is  not  a  topic 
upon  which  we  would  more  willingly  dwell,  nor  a  duty 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 


69 


which  we  would  more  earnestly  urge  upon  your  solemn 
and  deliberate  consideration,  than  that  of  meditation  upon 
the  great  truths  which  are  developed  in  the  books  to  which 
we  have  called  your  attention. — Perhaps  we  might  without 
rashness  assert  that  your  own  salvation  and  that  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  committed  to  your  charge,  depend  altogether  upon  the 
mode  in  which  this  great  duty  is  performed  by  yourselves. 
— This  is  the  mountain  to  which  the  Lord  invites  you  to  holy 
conference;  here,  within  a  cloud,  which  the  eye  of  the  mul¬ 
titude  cannot  penetrate,  he  converses  with  you  familiarly  as 
one  friend  is  wont  to  speak  with  another.  Removed  from  the 
distractions  of  the  world,  elevated  above  its  concerns,  though 
your  feet  still  rest  upon  the  earth,  your  mind  already  soars 
into  the  heavens;  you  review  your  imperfections  with  ease, 
at  leisure;  you  discover  the  sources  and  the  occasions  of 
your  faults;  you  become  acquainted  with  their  appropriate 
remedies,  or  you  take  the  necessary  precautions  against 
relapse;  you  become  conscious  of  your  weakness  and  ineffi¬ 
ciency;  you  learn  humility  when  you  behold  yourselves; 
you  are  brought  to  a  reliance  upon  your  God,  whose  mercy 
is  equal  to  his  might:  you  are  sustained  by  his  power,  you 
are  purified  by  his  goodness,  you  receive  from  his  hand  the 
lessons  by  which  your  people  are  to  profit,  and  you  descend 
amongst  them  radiant  with  the  splendour  of  that  virtue 
which,  derived  from  him,  now  shines  from  you.  Do  not, 
beloved  brethren,  we  entreat  you,  do  not  permit  any  seem¬ 
ing  necessity  to  urge  you  to  lay  aside  this  holy  practice  to 
which  you  have  been  trained  up  in  the  days  of  your  prep¬ 
aration  for  orders,  and  in  which  it  was  expected  you  would 
continue  to  make  progress  as  you  advanced  in  life.  We  be¬ 
lieve  that  half  an  hour  or  an  hour  devoted  to  this  exercise 
in  the  morning,  will  cause  you  to  enter  with  a  proper  spirit 
upon  the  performance  of  the  other  duties  of  the  day;  it  is 
not  only  of  its  own  nature  calculated  greatly  to  enable  you 
to  go  through  them  with  more  zeal  and  accuracy,  but  it  is 
well  adapted  to  bring  down  the  special  blessings  of  heaven 
upon  everything  you  undertake.  The  worst  dissipation  of 
time  follows  its  neglect;  a  rigid  adherence  to  its  discharge 
is  your  most  profitable  economy.  Bear  with  us,  then,  be¬ 
loved,  if  we  seem  over  earnest  in  exhorting,  in  persuading, 


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in  compelling  to  this  most  salutary,  most  necessary,  most 
profitable  regularity  in  your  daily  meditations.  Be  you  in 
this  made  the  pattern  of  your  flocks,  and  not  only  will  they 
be  led  to  imitate  your  example,  but  you  will  yourselves 
reap  the  most  abundant  fruit  in  their  improvement  in  the 
science  of  the  Saints,  and  in  the  practice  of  virtue.  No  other 
exertion  of  yours,  how  excellent  soever,  can  compensate 
for  its  neglect.  Permit  us  to  repeat  the  words  of  the 
Apostle:  “Be  earnest,  for  in  this  you  shall  save  both  your¬ 
selves  and  those  who  hear  you.” 

The  Sacraments,  beloved  brethren,  have  been  instituted 
by  the  Saviour  as  the  ordinary  channels  through  which 

he  might  convey  his  grace  to  our  souls. 

The  Grace  of  In  them  he  has  chosen  the  foolish  things 
the  Sacraments,  of  the  world  that  he  may  confound  the 

wise:  and  the  weak  things  of  the  world 
hath  God  chosen,  that  he  may  confound  the  strong:  and 
the  mean  things  of  the  world  and  the  things  that  are  con¬ 
temptible,  hath  God  chosen,  and  the  things  that  are  not, 
that  he  might  destroy  the  things  that  are;  “that  no  flesh 
should  glory  in  his  sight.”  To  the  simplest  elements  used 
with  reference  to  his  institution  and  with  reliance  upon  his 
power,  and  the  proper  dispositions,  he  has  attached  effects 
that  surpass  the  power  of  the  world  to  produce,  so  that 
“he  that  glorieth  may  glory  in  the  Lord.” 

Many  persons  who  will  not  view  the  Christian  institu¬ 
tions  as  they  really  exist,  imagine  that  the  effects  expected 
from  the  sacraments  are  those  which  the  laws  of  nature 
would  indicate.  And  therefore  they  ask:  What  natural  con¬ 
nection  exists  between  the  use  of  water  and  of  oil,  and  the 
remission  of  sins?  We  answer, — None  whatever.  The  ef¬ 
fect  is  not  the  result  of  any  natural  fitness,  but  the  divine 
agency  in  accordance  with  the  divine  institution.  When 
Naaman  the  Syrian  was  told  by  the  prophet  Eliseus  to  wash 
seven  times  in  the  Jordan  for  the  cleansing  of  his  leprosy, 
he  was  angry,  and  said,  “I  thought  he  would  have  come  out 
to  me,  and  standing  would  have  invoked  the  name  of  the 
Lord  his  God,  and  touched  with  his  hand  the  place  of  the 
leprosy,  and  healed  me.  Are  not  the  Abana  and  the  Phar- 
phar  rivers  of  Damascus  better  than  the  waters  of  Israel, 


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71 


that  I  may  wash  in  them  and  be  made  clean?”  Yet,  when 
he  did  wash  in  the  Jordan,  he  was  healed,  not  because  of 
any  natural  qualities  of  the  waters,  but  by  the  special  will 
of  the  Lord,  who  can  cleanse  without  any  means  or  by  occa¬ 
sion  any  which  he  might  choose  to  select.  So,  when  the 
Saviour  gave  sight  to  the  man  who  was  blind,  in  the  way  re¬ 
lated  by  St.  John  in  chapter  IX.,  the  effect  was  not  produced 
by  any  natural  quality  of  the  clay  or  the  spittle  or  the  wash¬ 
ing:  nor  of  their  union,  but  by  the  special  will  of  him  who 
formed  the  eye,  and  poured  light  upon  it,  and  fitted  the 
soul  to  receive  the  corresponding  sensation.  Thus  it  is  with 
the  Sacraments.  They  have  no  natural  efficacy,  though  they 
are  the  ordinary  means  instituted  by  the  Saviour  to  pro¬ 
duce  in  us  supernatural  effects.  Water  is  poured  on  the 
body;  it  is  God  who  cleanses  the  soul.  But  as  neither 
Naaman  nor  the  blind  man  would  have  been  restored  with¬ 
out  having  recourse  to  the  means  prescribed,  so  we  cannot 
expect  the  extensive  graces  attached  to  the  Sacraments,  un¬ 
less  we  receive  them.  “Unless  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son 
of  Man  and  drink  his  blood,  you  shall  not  have  life  in  you.” 
And  in  order  to  prove  ourselves  worthy  for  approaching 
this  holy  Sacrament,  we  would  have  recourse  to  that  other 
established  by  our  blessed  Lord  to  take  away  iniquity, 
lest  it  should  be  our  ruin.  When  breathing  upon  his 
Apostles,  he  said  to  them,  “Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost: 
whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them;  and 
whose  you  shall  retain,  they  are  retained.”  The  solemn  pre¬ 
cept  of  the  church,  empowered  by  Jesus  Christ  to  enact 
laws  of  discipline,  which,  though  passed  on  earth,  yet  have 
their  sanction  in  heaven,  binds  you  to  receive  both  these 
sacraments  at  or  about  the  time  of  Easter;  the  bond  is  bound 
upon  your  conscience,  and  though  you  may  not  be  pun¬ 
ished  upon  earth  for  its  disregard,  yet  the  transgressor  shall 
not  escape  the  vengeance  of  the  eternal  God. 

But,  beloved  brethren,  our  object  is  not  to  terrify  by 
threats  those  whom  we  would  induce  by  persuasion  and 
entreaty  to  perform  those  duties  which  are  so  essential 
to  their  welfare.  We  refer  you  to  the  affecting  invitation 
of  your  Redeemer:  “Come  to  me  all  you  that  labour  and 
are  heavily  laden,  and  you  will  find  rest  to  your  souls.” 


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From  how  much  torture  of  soul,  from  what  excruciating 
anguish,  from  how  many  errors  of  conscience,  would  some 
of  our  brethren  be  relieved,  how  much  true  peace,  such  as 
the  world  cannot  give,  such  as  the  children  of  the  world  can 
never  experience,  would  they  find,  if  after  having  washed 
away  the  stains  of  iniquity  in  their  penitential  tears  mingled 
with  the  blood  of  the  lamb,  they  should,  clothed  in  their 
whitened  garments,  accept  the  invitation  and  be  seated  at 
the  great  festival  of  the  Son  of  God! 

Thanks  be  to  our  heavenly  Father:  our  hearts  have  been 
greatly  consoled  by  the  increasing  multitude  that  since  our 

last  Council  has  on  every  side  exhibited 
Frequent  itself  to  us,  pressing  forward  to  this  life- 
Communion.  giving  food.  We  have  indeed  been  made 

joyful  by  the  vast  increase;  still  we  have  to 
lament  the  absence  of  numbers.  Oh,  that  they  would 
reduce  their  principles  to  practice!  That  they  would  feel 
the  importance  of  providing  for  eternity!  That  they  would 
follow  the  plain  and  explicit  declarations  of  the  incarnate 
Son  of  God,  rather  than  hazard  every  thing  upon  the  miser¬ 
able  sophistry  of  the  deceitful  world!  Brethren,  we  openly 
announce  to  you  that  there  is  no  other  name  under  heaven 
in  which  you  can  be  saved  but  by  our  Lord  Jesus.  And 
there  is  no  salvation  in  his  name  but  by  means  of  his  in¬ 
stitutions,  and  these  are  principally  the  sacraments  which 
he  has  established.  We  beseech,  we  conjure  you  not  to  con¬ 
tinue  the  criminality  of  this  neglect. 

In  viewing  the  members  of  our  flocks  who  are  spread 
abroad  over  the  surface  of  this  country,  and  the  compara¬ 
tively  small  number  of  our  clergy,  we  have 
The  Need  been  often  forced  to  deplore  the  destitu- 

of  Priests.  tion  of  spiritual  aid  under  which  multi¬ 

tudes  labour.  God  is  our  witness,  that  so 
far  as  we  had  the  means  we  have  endeavoured  to  supply 
the  wants  of  our  beloved  children.  We  have  not  been 
sparing  of  ourselves,  nor  have  our  brethren  in  the  priest¬ 
hood  been  spared.  Of  this  you,  brethren,  are  also  witnesses! 
but  notwithstanding  those  efforts,  the  Catholic  has  been  too 
frequently  removed  far  from  the  voice  of  his  pastor,  far 
from  the  altar  of  his  redeeming  victim,  far  from  the  bread 


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73 


of  angels,  far  from  the  other  sacraments  and  institutions 
of  religion.  The  emigrant  who  comes  to  our  shores  for  the 
purpose  of  turning  his  industry  to  more  profitable  account 
than  he  could  do  in  regions  long  and  thickly  inhabited,  has 
wandered  through  our  forests,  our  fields,  our  towns,  and 
even  some  of  our  cities,  in  amazement  at  not  being  able 
to  find  a  church  in  which  he  could  worship  according  to  the 
rites  of  his  ancestors;  he  has  left  our  republic  in  the  bitter¬ 
ness  of  disappointment;  or  he  has  not  unfrequently  become 
indifferent.  Others  have  with  firm  faith  preserved  the 
sacred  deposit,  and  transmitted  it  to  their  children,  looking 
forward  with  hope  to  that  day,  when  they  would  be  again 
cheered  by  the  ancient  sounds  of  a  liturgy  derived  from 
the  Apostolic  ages,  and  known  through  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth;  when  they  would  behold  that  ceremonial  to 
which  they  had  been  accustomed  from  their  infancy,  and 
which,  though  it  seems  strange  and  unmeaning  to  the  unin¬ 
structed,  yet  is  a  symbolic  observance,  by  which  the  wisdom 
of  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  the  history  of  merciful  re¬ 
demption  are  proclaimed  intelligibly  to  all  tribes  and 
tongues  and  nations.  We  exhort  those  good  persons  to  con¬ 
tinue  faithful.  Let  them  fortify  their  faith,  by  reading  those 
explanations  and  compilations  which  are  calculated  to 
strengthen  themselves  and  to  enable  them  to  instruct  their 
children;  let  them  be  earnest  and  regular  in  the  great  duty 
of  prayer,  especially  on  the  Lord’s  day,  the  holy  days  and 
days  of  devotion;  on  these  occasions,  we  advise  them  to  as¬ 
semble  together  if  there  be  two  or  more  families,  and  unit¬ 
ing  in  spirit  with  the  priest  who  offers  the  holy  sacrifice  in 
their  vicinity,  or  with  the  bishop  of  the  Diocese,  let  them  at 
the  usual  hour  of  worship,  unless  some  other  be  more  con¬ 
venient,  recite  their  form  of  prayers  for  the  Mass,  read  some 
approved  books  of  instruction,  or  some  Catholic  sermon; 
have  their  children  catechised;  preserve  and  increase  a 
spirit  of  charity  and  affection  for  each  other;  mutually  en¬ 
courage  each  other  to  perseverance,  and  consult  occasion¬ 
ally  how  they  might  be  able  to  procure  a  visit  from  some 
priest  for  the  necessary  purposes  of  religion.  Let  them 
cautiously  abstain  from  vice;  for  it  has  sometimes  unfortu¬ 
nately  happened  that,  despairing  of  that  ministry  upon 


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which  they  placed  their  reliance,  they  became  reckless  and 
criminal.  We  assure  them  that  though  unfortunately  thus 
placed  beyond  the  reach  of  our  ministerial  aid,  they  are 
dear  to  our  hearts;  they  are  not  forgotten  in  our  suffrages; 
we  are  solicitous  for  their  welfare,  and  we  entreat  and  de¬ 
sire  those  priests  who  may  by  any  exertion  be  able  to  afford 
them  the  benefit  of  their  ministry,  to  regard  as  one  of  their 
first  obligations,  the  duty  of  visiting  and  sustaining  them 
when  at  all  compatible  with  those  other  functions  to  which 
they  are  specially  devoted. 

The  education  of  the  rising  generation  is,  beloved 
brethren,  a  subject  of  the  first  importance;  and  we  have  ac¬ 
cordingly,  at  all  times,  used  our  best  efforts 
Catholic  to  provide,  as  far  as  our  means  would  per- 
Education.  mit,  not  only  ecclesiastical  seminaries  to 

insure  a  succession  in  our  priesthood  and 
its  extension;  but  we  have  moreover  sought  to  create  col¬ 
leges  and  schools  in  which  your  children,  whether  male  or 
female,  might  have  the  best  opportunities  of  literature  and 
science,  united  to  a  strict  protection  of  their  morals  and 
the  best  safeguards  of  their  faith.  You  are  aware  that  the 
success  and  the  permanence  of  such  institutions  rest  almost 
exclusively  with  you.  It  will  be  our  most  gratifying  duty 
to  see  that  their  superiors  and  professors  are  worthy  of  the 
high  trust  reposed  in  them;  but  it  is  only  by  your  patron¬ 
age  and  zealous  co-operation  that  their  existence  can  be  se¬ 
cured,  their  prosperity  and  usefulness  be  increased,  and 
your  children’s  children  be  made  to  bless  the  memory,  and 
to  pray  for  the  souls  of  those  who  originated  and  upheld 
such  establishments. 

Neither  you  nor  we  should  exercise  an  undue  influence 
over  the  minds  of  your  children  in  regard  to  their  embrac¬ 
ing  the  ecclesiastical  state.  We  desire  to 

Vocations  to  see  no  persons  enter  into  it  except  those 
the  Priesthood,  whom  God  has  called,  and  whom  by  his 

special  graces  he  enables  to  fulfil  in  an 
useful  and  edifying  manner  its  serious  obligations.  We 
would  not  urge  it  upon  the  consideration  of  youth;  but  we 
think  it  equally  improper  to  dissuade  them  from  offering 
themselves  as  candidates  to  the  ministry.  This  is  not,  it  is 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 


75 


true,  amongst  us  a  road  to  worldly  honours,  to  preferments, 
to  enjoyments,  or  to  fame;  but  it  is  the  glorious  part  of  a 
co-operation  with  the  Saviour  of  the  world  in  the  salvation 
of  souls.  It  is  an  occupation  in  which  men  labour  to  bring 
to  their  fellow  beings  peace  on  earth,  happiness  in  heaven. 
The  head  of  the  monarch  moulders  beneath  his  crown,  and 
the  diadem  itself  will  blend  into  the  common  ruin  of  all 
earthly  things;  the  laurel  will  fade  upon  the  conqueror’s 
brow,  his  arm  will  be  resolved  into  dust,  and  rust  will  con¬ 
sume  that  sword  upon  which  the  lustre  of  victory  shone: 
the  fame  of  the  statesman  will  terminate  at  least  with  time; 
the  benefactions  of  the  humane  confer  only  a  temporary  and 
transient  relief :  but  the  faithful  minister  of  God,  after  hav¬ 
ing  spread  consolation  upon  earth,  will  in  the  eternal  abode 
be  delighted  at  beholding  those  upon  whom  he  was  instru¬ 
mental  in  conferring  the  joys  of  immortality.  Do  not  urge 
your  sons  towards  the  sanctuary:  but,  beware  how  you  in¬ 
terpose  between  them  and  its  vestibules  the  impediments 
which  worldly  ambition  and  paternal  authority  furnish. 
We  cannot  be  always,  we  should  not  be,  when  we  can  avoid 
it,  dependent  upon  other  nations  for  our  ministry.  We  de¬ 
sire  to  see  your  children  prepared  to  occupy  our  places. 
We  call  upon  you  to  aid  us  in  this  effort.  Some  foreign 
churches,  whose  people  have  emigrated  hither,  have  liber¬ 
ally  assisted  us  to  supply  their  brethren  with  the  opportuni¬ 
ties  of  religion :  they  deserve  our  gratitude  and  our  prayers. 
France  and  Austria  have  the  strongest  claims  upon  us  in 
this  respect.  Where  they  have  been  so  zealous,  you  should 
emulate  their  holy  ardour.  Aid  us  in  your  respective  Dio¬ 
ceses  to  raise  up  and  perpetuate  an  efficient  body  of  clergy 
sufficient  for  the  wants  of  our  churches. 

You  need  not,  brethren,  that  we  should  inform  you  of 
that  which  the  Apostle  has  taught,  and  our  own  experience 
confirms,  that  there  exists  in  us  a  warfare 
between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit,  and  the  Fasting  and 
justification  of  the  law  is  fulfilled  in  those  Abstinence, 
who  walk  not  according  to  the  flesh,  but 
according  to  the  spirit:  for  if  we  live  according  to  the  flesh, 
we  shall  die  the  eternal  death;  but  if  by  the  spirit  we  mor¬ 
tify  the  deeds  of  the  flesh,  we  shall  live  for  ever.  Hence, 


76  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

they  who  are  Christ’s,  have  crucified  their  flesh  with  their 
vices  and  concupiscences,  by  subjecting  the  appetites  to  re¬ 
straint,  and,  accustoming  themselves  to  refrain  occasion¬ 
ally  from  those  indulgences  which,  though  lawful  in  them¬ 
selves,  yet  might,  without  impropriety,  be  omitted.  The 
first  Christians,  by  a  holy  austerity,  reduced  the  body  to 
obedience,  and  removed  the  opportunity  of  many  tempta¬ 
tions.  By  such  practices  of  fasting  and  of  abstinence,  they 
likewise  united  their  works  of  penance  to  the  oblation  of 
the  Saviour,  that  they  might  fill  up  in  their  own  flesh  those 
things  which  are  wanting  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ;  not 
that  anything  was  deficient  for  perfection  of  his  atonement 
as  to  its  sufficiency  and  even  abundance,  but  that  something 
was  required  for  its  application  to  themselves  individually. 
In  the  earliest  days  this  great  principle  became  the  subject 
of  disciplinary  regulation,  and  though  they  called  no  food 
unclean,  knowing  that  the  ancient  legal  distinction  of  the 
Hebrew  people  had  been  abrogated  by  the  same  divine 
authority  by  which  it  had  been  established;  yet  even  in  the 
Apostolic  council  a  prohibition  was  enacted  by  the  author¬ 
ity  which  Christ  left  to  the  legislative  assembly  of  his 
church,  that  there  should  be  an  abstinence  from  blood  and 
from  things  strangled.  This  discipline  was  also  abrogated  by 
the  same  authority,  and  other  abstinence  substituted.  And 
though  there  be  no  essential  difference,  in  a  religious  point 
of  view,  between  one  day  and  another,  so  as  to  require,  of 
necessity,  an  abstinence  from  any  particular  food  on  any 
special  day;  yet,  in  the  enactment  of  her  laws,  the  church 
was  empowered  so  to  regulate  her  discipline  as  to  specify 
not  only  the  abstinence,  but  the  time  when  it  should  be  ob¬ 
served,  and  to  modify  both  the  time  and  the  manner  of  that 
observance  according  to  the  variation  of  climate,  of  pro¬ 
ductions,  and  other  circumstances.  The  sanction  of  this 
legislative  power  is  found  spread  through  the  gospels,  and 
is  evinced  in  various  other  parts  of  the  sacred  writings; 
it  was  always  recognised  by  the  body  of  the  faithful,  who 
knew  that  what  this  tribunal  bound  on  earth,  was  bound 
in  heaven,  and  that  what  was  loosed  on  earth,  was  loosed 
in  heaven.  And  they  always  considered  any  of  their 
brethren  who  would  not  hear  the  church  on  this,  as  well  as 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 


77 


on  other  subjects  placed  under  her  jurisdiction,  in  that 
light  in  which  they  were  exhibited  by  the  divine  Founder 
himself,  as  heathens  and  publicans;  that  is,  as  persons  who, 
in  reality,  had  practically  separated  themselves  from  the 
benefits  of  his  institutions. 

You  are  aware,  that,  in  a  large  portion  of  this  province, 
the  discipline  required  abstinence  from  flesh  meat  on  Fri¬ 
days  of  the  year,  on  the  greater  number  of  the  Saturdays, 
and  on  some  other  days.  The  power  of  dispensing  with 
the  observance  of  the  laws  regarding  general  discipline, 
when  he  shall  see  sufficient  cause  therefor,  is,  by  the  divine 
constitution  of  our  church,  vested  in  the  Supreme  Pontiff. 
And  we,  brethren,  viewing  the  peculiar  circumstances  under 
which  our  congregations  are  placed,  have  applied  to  him  to 
obtain  for  you  a  dispensation  for  flesh  meat  on  those  Satur¬ 
days  on  which  the  prohibition  existed,  with  the  exception  of 
those  on  which  there  was  an  obligation  also  of  fasting  from 
one  meal.  We  also  prayed  that  the  obligation  of  abstinence 
on  the  festival  of  St.  Mark  the  Evangelist,  which  has  sub¬ 
sisted  for  centuries,  and  on  the  Rogation  days,  should  cease. 
And  we  have  to  announce  to  you,  that  our  request  has  been, 
in  a  great  measure,  complied  with.  The  obligation  of  ob¬ 
serving  abstinence  on  the  festival  of  St.  Mark,  and  on  the 
Rogation  days,  has  been  altogether  abrogated,  except  when 
the  festival  of  St.  Mark  occurs  on  Friday:  and  a  dispensa¬ 
tion  has  been  granted,  for  the  space  of  ten  years,  from  the 
obligation  of  abstaining  from  flesh  meat  on  those  Saturdays 
which  are  not  days  of  obligation  to  fast  upon  one  meal; 
such  are  the  Saturdays  in  Lent,  on  Quarter-tenses,  or  when 
any  vigil,  that  is  a  fast-day,  occurs  on  Saturday. 

We  trust,  beloved  brethren,  that  as  this  relaxation  of 
discipline  has  been  deemed  necessary  by  our  peculiar  cir¬ 
cumstances,  you  will  endeavour,  by  more  frequent  prayer, 
by  more  copious  alms  to  your  destitute  brethren,  and  by 
more  exalted  virtue,  and  other  acts  of  mortification,  to  ob¬ 
tain  from  Heaven  grace  to  subdue  your  passions,  and  to 
present  yourselves  holy  and  acceptable  through  Jesus 
Christ.  Be  not  assimilated  to  those  of  whom  the  Apostle 
so  often  told  the  Philippians,  and  told  them  weeping,  that 
they  “are  enemies  to  the  cross  of  Christ;  whose  end  is  de- 


78  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

struction;  whose  God  is  their  belly;  whose  glory  is  their 
shame;  who  mind  earthly  things.”  Be  your  conversation 
in  heaven. 

We  notice,  with  regret,  a  spirit  exhibited  by  some  of  the 
conductors  of  the  press,  engaged  in  the  interests  of  those 

brethren  separated  from  our  communion, 
Attacks  Upon  which  has,  within  a  few  years  become  more 

the  Church.  unkind  and  unjust  in  our  regard.  Not 

only  do  they  assail  us  and  our  institutions 
in  a  style  of  vituperation  and  offence,  misrepresent  our 
tenets,  vilify  our  practices,  repeat  the  hundred  times  re¬ 
futed  calumnies  of  days  of  angry  and  bitter  contention  in 
other  lands,  but  they  have  even  denounced  you  and  us  as 
enemies  to  the  liberties  of  the  republic,  and  have  openly 
proclaimed  the  fancied  necessity  of  not  only  obstructing 
our  progress,  but  of  using  their  best  efforts  to  extirpate  our 
religion:  and  for  this  purpose  they  have  collected  large 
sums  of  money.  It  is  neither  our  principle  nor  our  prac¬ 
tice  to  render  evil  for  evil,  nor  railing  for  railing:  and  we 
exhort  you  rather  to  the  contrary,  to  render  blessing,  for 
unto  this  are  you  called,  that  you,  by  inheritance,  may  ob¬ 
tain  a  blessing.  Recollect  the  assurance  of  the  Saviour — 
“Blessed  are  you,  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  persecute 
you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely  for 
my  sake;  rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad:  because  your  re¬ 
ward  is  very  great  in  heaven:  for  so  they  persecuted  the 
prophets  that  were  before  you.”  We  are  too  well  known 
to  our  fellow-citizens  to  render  it  now  necessary  that  we 
should  exhibit  the  utter  want  of  any  ground  upon  which 
such  charges  could  rest.  We,  therefore,  advise  you  to  heed 
them  not:  but  to  continue,  whilst  you  serve  your  God  with 
fidelity,  to  discharge,  honestly,  faithfully,  and  with  affec¬ 
tionate  attachment,  your  duties  to  the  government  under 
which  you  live,  so  that  we  may,  in  common  with  our  fellow- 
citizens,  sustain  that  edifice  of  rational  liberty  in  which 
we  find  such  excellent  protection. 

And  now,  brethren,  we  exhort  you,  we  beseech  you,  not 
to  be  led  away  by  the  delusions  of  this  transitory  world, 
to  the  neglect  of  your  immortal  souls.  Be  solicitous  for  your 
eternal  concerns:  lay  up  for*yourself  treasures  in  heaven, 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1833 


79 


where  neither  the  rust  nor  the  moth  can  consume,  and  where 
no  thieves  can  dig  through  and  steal.  0 !  that  you  would  be 
wise,  and  would  understand,  and  would 
provide  for  your  last  end.  What  peace  Conclusion, 
would  you  enjoy  in  time!  What  delight 
would  encompass  you  for  eternity!  Be  you,  there¬ 
fore,  perfect  as  your  Heavenly  Father  is  perfect.  “And 
may  God  supply  all  your  wants  according  to  his  riches  in 
Christ  Jesus,”  “that  you  may  walk  worthy  of  him,  in  all 
things  pleasing;  being  fruitful  in  every  good  work,  and  in¬ 
creasing  in  the  knowledge  of  God;  strengthened  with  all 
might  according  to  the  power  of  his  glory,  in  all  patience 
and  long-suffering  with  joy,  giving  thanks  to  God  the  Father, 
who  hath  made  us  worthy  to  be  partakers  of  the  lot  of  the 
saints  in  light;  who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of 
darkness,  and  hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  his 
beloved  Son:  in  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his 
blood,  the  remission  of  sins.” 

Given  in  Council  at  Baltimore  on  this  27th  day  of  Octo¬ 
ber ,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord ,  1833. 

*F  James,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

•FJohn  Baptist,  Bishop  of  Mauricastro,  Coadjutor  of 
Bardstown. 

HhJoHN,  Bishop  of  Charleston. 

•FJoseph,  Bishop  of  St.  Louis. 

•^Benedict  J.,  Bishop  of  Boston. 

•FJohn,  Bishop  of  New  York. 

•FMichael,  Bishop  of  Mobile. 

■FFrancis  Patrick,  Bishop  of  Arath,  Coadjutor  and  Ad¬ 
ministrator  of  Philadelphia. 

^Frederick,  Bishop  of  Detroit. 

•FJohn,  Bishop  of  Cincinnati. 


CHAPTER  V 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


HE  four  years  which  intervened  between  the  Second  and 


A  Third  Provincial  Councils  of  Baltimore  (1833-1837)  wit¬ 
nessed  an  alarming  growth  of  anti-Catholic  bitterness.  The 
burning  of  the  Ursuline  Convent  at  Charlestown  on  the  night 
of  August  11,  1834,  and  the  publication  of  several  books  calcu¬ 
lated  to  arouse  bigotry,  the  vilest  of  which  were  Six  Months  in 
a  Convent ,  by  Rebecca  Reed  (New  York,  1835),  and  the  Awful 
Disclosures,  by  Maria  Monk  (New  York,  1836),  are  some  of  the 
unhappy  factors  of  the  period.  The  Catholic  clergy  and  laity 
were  looking  with  anguished  eyes  to  their  leaders  for  guidance 
in  the  miasma  of  fanaticism  which  had  arisen  from  the  soil 
of  free  America.  It  was  to  be  expected  that  the  prelates  as¬ 
sembled  in  the  Third  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore  (April  16- 
23,  1837)  would  issue  a  message  to  their  flocks  on  the  grave 
question  that  faced  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States, 
and  that  they  were  not  disappointed  is  evident  from  the  mas¬ 
terly  Pastoral  which  follows. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


( Third  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore) 


Reverend  Brethren  of  the  Clergy,  and  beloved  of  the  Laity: 
Peace  be  to  you,  and  faith  with  charity  from  God  the 
Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  the  consolations 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

A  SSEMBLED  to  consult  for  the  welfare  of  that  portion 


1  *  of  the  church  entrusted  to  our  care,  we  cannot  sepa¬ 
rate  for  the  purpose  of  renewing  our  labours  amongst 
you,  without  yielding  to  an  impulse  that  we  feel  of  address¬ 
ing  to  you  our  joint  exhortation. — We  are  daily  more  and 
more  consoled  in  witnessing  the  progress  of  religion 
amongst  you,  though  this  joy  is  mingled  with  affliction  at 


81 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 

finding  how  much  remains  to  be  done,  more  than  we  are  yet 
able  to  perform;  as  also  at  beholding  the  various  obstacles 
which  the  enemy  of  souls  creates,  for  the  purpose  of  retard¬ 
ing  the  work  of  the  Lord,  amongst  us. 

Amongst  these  obstacles  we  are  painfully  constrained 
to  notice  the  misrepresentation  and  persecution  to  which 
you  and  we  have  been  exposed  since  our 
last  council.  We  advert  to  this  topic  with  Persecution  of 
deep  regret:  but  any  effort  on  our  part  to  the  Church, 
conceal  from  the  world  this  melancholy 
fact,  to  which  its  perpetrators  have  given  such  blazing  no¬ 
toriety  would  be  equally  useless,  as  the  attempt  to  disguise 
those  feelings  with  which  we  are  affected,  and  which  we 
may,  by  God’s  aid,  in  a  great  degree  restrain,  but  which  it  is 
not  in  our  power  utterly  to  destroy. 

We  are  filled  with  regret  because  no  sacrifices  or  exer¬ 
tions  that  we  could  make  would  be  sufficient  to  prevent 
the  baleful  consequences  which  must  necessarily  flow  from 
the  conduct  of  our  gainsayers,  and  which  we  see  it  has  al¬ 
ready  extensively  and  unhappily  produced  in  our  repub¬ 
lic.  The  affection  of  fellow-citizens  is  destroyed,  the  of¬ 
fices  of  charity  are  neglected,  the  kindly  intercourse  of 
neighbours  has  been  interrupted,  suspicion,  jealousy  and 
hatred  have  succeeded  to  confidence,  mutual  respect  and 
affection;  the  demon  of  discord  has  usurped  that  station 
where  the  angel  of  peace  abode:  and  that  day  has  gone  by, 
when  every  American  citizen  could  truly  say,  that  what¬ 
ever  may  be  the  religious  opinion  which  he  entertained, 
or  whatever  the  form  of  worship  which  he  followed,  he  en¬ 
joyed  in  full  freedom  the  opportunity  of  securing  for  him¬ 
self  what  he  vindicated  for  others,  the  communion  with  his 
God  in  that  way  which  his  conviction  or  his  taste  might 
prefer.  It  has  even  been  loudly  proclaimed  that  our  religion 
should  not  enjoy  toleration  in  fact,  whilst,  in  theory,  the 
constitutions  of  our  several  states,  proclaim  to  the  world, 
that  as  Catholics,  we  have  the  same  rights  respecting  re¬ 
ligion  that  are  fully  and  peaceably  enjoyed  by  our  fellow- 
citizens  of  every  other  denomination,  by  whatever  style  they 
may  be  described  whether  Christian,  Hebrew,  or  Unbe¬ 
liever;  and  whilst  the  constitution  of  our  federal  Govern- 


| 

j 

82  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

ment  in  addition  declares,  that  “Congress  shall  make  no 
law  respecting  the  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibiting 
the  free  exercise  thereof.”  Yes,  beloved  brethren:  our  re¬ 
ligious  rights  are  secured  to  us  by  those  same  instruments 
which  secure  to  our  fellow-citizens  and  to  ourselves,  all 
those  other  valuable  possessions  which  have  been  acquired 
for  them  and  for  us,  by  the  lives,  by  the  fortunes,  and  by  the 
sacred  honour  of  that  devoted  assembly  who  though  widely 
differing  in  religion,  yet  were  in  love  of  country,  a  hand 
of  brothers.  And  he  who  would  rashly  pluck  our  franchise 
from  the  frame  of  the  constitution  would  loosen  the  entire 
mass  and  facilitate  the  confusion  and  abstraction  of  the  re¬ 
mainder.  Whatever  may  be  the  dispositions  or  efforts  of 
those  whose  misconduct  we  bewail,  they  cannot  despoil  us 
without  insuring  the  general  ruin.  Our  regret  does  not 
however  arise  from  any  apprehension  of  civil  disfranchise¬ 
ment  of  ourselves,  but  we  lament  that  a  bad  spirit  has  been 
evoked,  and  that  its  pestilential  blasts  have  contaminated 
our  atmosphere,  that  the  peace  of  society  is  endangered,  the 
domestic  circle  is  disturbed,  and  that  charity  has  departed 
from  amongst  us. 

But  when  we  look  abroad  and  observe  the  nations  in 
which  the  name  of  America  was  symbolic  of  brotherhood, 
and  where  the  contemplation  of  our  peace  and  of  our  pros¬ 
perity  induced  statesmen  to  seek  their  cause,  and  when  the 
conviction  had  been  nearly  produced,  that  these  blessings 
were  the  result  of  our  wise  abstinence  from  persecution 
for  the  sake  of  creed;  when  the  admiration  and  the  respect 
which  had  taken  possession  of  men’s  minds,  were  leading 
them  to  imitate  our  policy!  How  are  matters  changed? — 
Gratified  at  the  exhibition  of  our  weakness  they  exult  in 
our  shame  and  they  predict  our  confusion  and  our  fall. 
They  avow  indeed  that,  blinded  by  prejudice  and  infuriated 
by  the  spirit  of  party  which  was  miscalled  religious  zeal, 
other  men  in  other  days,  made  upon  our  predecessors  in 
the  faith,  assaults  similar  to  those  now  made  upon  us;  and 
that,  when  under  its  influence  having  with  the  gall  of  bitter¬ 
ness  indited  upon  their  statute  books  laws  of  acrimony,  of 
plunder  and  of  affliction,  they  strove  by  new  misrepresen¬ 
tations  to  palliate  their  unjustifiable  proceedings,  and  by 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


83 


the  aid  of  falsehood  they  sought  to  give  to  persecution  the 
appearance  of  self-protection.  Time,  investigation  and  re¬ 
flection  have  however  proved  to  the  children  the  injustice 
of  their  fathers  and  caused  them  to  purge  away  from  their 
records,  not  only  in  this  country  but  in  England,  the  foul 
enactments  and  to  bear  honourable  testimony  to  the  inno¬ 
cence  of  those  who  had  been  oppressed:  yet  it  is  at  such  a 
moment  as  this,  when  Britain,  blushing  at  her  former  folly 
and  injustice  and  imitating  what  America  had  done  fifty 
years  before,  abandons  her  false  position  and  takes  an  hon¬ 
ourable  rank  amongst  the  nations,  that  it  is  sought  to  drive 
our  states  from  the  lofty  station  which  they  had  hitherto 
held,  to  that  place  of  degradation  from  which  she  has  just 
removed:  and  we  are  filled  with  regret  at  the  humiliation 
to  which  a  land  that  we  love  is  exposed,  when  they  who 
once  admired  it,  point  thereto,  asking  with  amazement: 
how  it  can  be  possible  for  men  of  reading  and  of  sagacity 
to  be  duped  at  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  by  charges  refuted 
in  Europe  more  than  a  century  since;  abandoned  even  by 
the  party  which  originally  invented  them,  disbelieved  by 
every  one  who  has  the  most  moderate  pretensions  to  infor¬ 
mation;  charges  to  advance  which  even  in  an  exceedingly 
modified  shape,  requires  at  present,  the  most  desperate  ef¬ 
fort  of  the  boldest  and  most  interested  partisans  of  a  body 
now  making  its  mightiest  struggle  for  existence.  The  peo¬ 
ple  of  other  nations  are  astonished  at  beholding  those 
charges  renewed  here,  in  language  far  more  vulgar  and  ob¬ 
scene  than  ever  disgraced  their  worst  exhibition  in  Europe. 
We  avow  that  we  witness  this  with  shame  and  with  regret, 
and  the  pain  which  we  feel  is  caused  not  by  any  apprehen¬ 
sion  that  the  falsehood  could  be  ultimately  received  as 
truth,  amongst  a  people,  who  however  they  may  be  led 
astray  for  a  moment,  will  always  return  to  examine 
maturely  that  in  which  they  are  interested,  but  we  are  mor¬ 
tified,  that  because  of  this  unseemly  effort,  the  American 
name  may  be  exposed  to  reproach  when  it  had  been  hitherto 
respected. 

We  regret  this  spirit  of  misrepresentation  upon  other  ac¬ 
counts;  though  we  foresee  that  it  will  ultimately  produce 
effects  beneficial  to  ourselves.  The  love  of  truth  exists 


84 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


amongst  our  fellow-citizens,  and  it  becomes  a  more  fervid 
attachment  when  the  effect  of  misrepresentation  has  been 
discovered:  yet  until  that  discovery  is  made,  many  who 
are  disposed  to  enter  upon  inquiry  hesitate,  and  even  those 
who  are  convinced  have  some  reluctance  and  vacillation. 
Misrepresentation  spreads  a  thick  mist  around  the  vesti¬ 
bule  of  truth;  it  there  exhibits  appalling  though  shadowy 
forms  to  terrify  those  who  would  approach.  And  we  regret 
to  add  from  our  positive  knowledge  that  it  is  not  by  phan¬ 
toms  only  that  the  approach  is  guarded;  for  though  the 
laws  of  the  land  do  not  arm  the  persecutor  with  the  sword, 
yet  have  the  contrivances  and  exertions  of  individuals  and 
of  associations,  in  many  instances,  supplied  this  deficiency 
by  their  own  acts  of  persecution. 

Yet  brethren  in  the  midst  of  those  trials  we  have  re¬ 
ceived  much  comfort  from  the  God  of  all  consolation.  This 
very  misrepresentation  of  our  tenets,  of  our  principles  and 
of  our  practices  exhibits  the  best  proof  that  the  doctrine 
which  we  believe  and  teach  cannot  be  successfully  assailed 
by  fair  argument  nor  our  principles  rendered  odious  by 
honest  exposition.  It  is  therefore  that  forms  of  belief  which 
we  reject  as  absurd  are  imputed  to  us,  so  that  our  assailants 
by  refuting  them  may  obtain  the  semblance  of  a  victory 
over  us:  it  is  for  that  reason  that  practices  which  we  abhor 
are  charged  upon  us,  so  that  covered  with  a  mantle  of 
iniquity  which  we  detest,  we  may  be  held  up  to  the  execra¬ 
tion  of  a  people  desirous  of  paying  its  just  tribute  to  virtue: 
and  since  our  own  conduct  as  citizens  was  not  liable  to  re¬ 
proach,  it  was  deemed  requisite  to  libel  the  governments 
of  Europe  which  profess  our  faith,  and  to  feign  imaginary 
conspiracies  in  order  to  excite  amongst  our  fellow-citizens 
the  prejudice  of  the  thoughtless  and  the  fears  of  the  pa¬ 
triotic.  Even  men  who  assumed  the  garb  of  religion  and 
who  affected  extraordinary  zeal  and  extravagant  piety  set 
forth  to  the  public  as  solemn  truths,  statements  whose  false¬ 
hood  they  could  have  easily  detected,  and  of  which  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  imagine  them  ignorant.  If  they  who, 
through  prejudice,  persuaded  themselves  that  they  would 
do  a  service  to  God  and  to  society  by  our  extermination,  and 
who  most  laboriously  sought  to  accomplish  this  purpose, 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


85 


had  convincing  proof  of  our  being  involved  in  error  or  en¬ 
gaged  in  crime,  they  would  have  unhestitatingly  produced 
it;  and  this  proof,  when  manifested,  would  have  made  its 
due  impression  upon  the  public  mind.  Our  assailants 
wanted  neither  the  will  nor  the  ability,  and  we  are  con¬ 
soled  at  the  evidence  which  their  failure  must  ultimately 
give  to  the  world,  of  the  truth  of  our  doctrines  and  the  cor¬ 
rectness  of  our  principles. 

We  are  indeed  comparatively  few  amongst  the  millions 
of  our  fellow-citizens;  the  greater  portion  of  our  flocks  are 
in  the  humble,  laborious,  but  useful  occupations  of  life: 
we  do  not  aspire  to  power,  we  do  not  calculate  by  what 
process  we  should  be  able,  at  some  future  day,  to  control 
the  councils  of  the  republic,  neither  do  we  combine  to  raise 
the  members  of  our  society  to  places  of  trust,  of  honor,  or  of 
profit:  we  seek  not  to  make  friends  for  our  church  by  ex¬ 
hibiting  the  ability  of  our  party  to  reward  and  to  sustain  its 
benefactors;  but,  relying  upon  the  protection  of  our  God, 
we  endeavour  to  live  in  peace  with  our  brethren  whilst  we 
are  occupied  in  our  several  appropriate  duties.  And  we 
have  been  consoled  by  the  manifestation  of  his  fatherly 
care;  especially  when  our  assailants  opened  their  mouth 
and  would  seem  ready  to  destroy  us:  the  number  of  our 
friends  has  increased,  the  good  and  the  wise  and  the  re¬ 
flecting  crowded  around  us  for  our  defence:  though  they 
dissented  from  our  creed,  in  many  instances  they  have 
generously  vindicated  our  rights:  and  the  advantages  that 
we  have  gained  from  the  sympathy  and  the  affection  of  one 
portion  of  our  fellow-citizens,  has  more  than  compensated 
for  what  we  have  endured  from  the  hatred  of  the  other. 
Nor  will  this  be  the  term  of  those  beneficial  results.  Such 
events  cannot  occur  in  the  midst  of  a  people  free,  educated 
and  desirous  of  information,  without  creating  enquiry. 
Calm  and  unprejudiced  investigation  is  all  that  we  believe 
to  be  necessary,  with  that  grace  which  Heaven  is  always 
ready  to  bestow,  for  attaining  the  discovery  of  truth.  Many 
have  already  been  roused  to  enquiry;  several  misconcep¬ 
tions  have  been  destroyed,  various  early  and  long  standing 
prejudices  have  been  laid  aside,  numberless  mistakes  have 
been  corrected,  a  spirit  of  examination  is  abroad;  we  have 


86 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


Patience  in 
Tribulation. 


rejoiced  at  its  excitement,  because  we  have  felt  its  bene¬ 
ficial  effects,  and  we  anticipate  still  happier  consequences 
from  its  continuation,  its  activity  and  its  increase.  Thus, 
always,  beloved  brethren,  our  kind  and  providential  father, 
blends  some  consolations  with  his  chastisements. 

And  this  view  leads  us  to  the  consideration  of  our 
duty  under  the  circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed. 

“Take  up  your  yoke,”  said  our  Blessed 
Lord,  “and  learn  of  me  because  I  am  meek 
and  humble  of  heart,  and  you  shall  find 
rest  to  your  souls.”1  “Shall  not  my  soul  be  subject  to  God? 
for  from  him  is  my  salvation:”2  Asks  the  royal  prophet, 
and  he  answers,  “Be  thou  O  my  soul  subject  to  God,  for 
from  him  is  my  patience.”3  And  when  in  another  place 
he  prays  “Deliver  me,  0  my  God  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
sinner  and  of  the  unjust,”4  he  exhibits  his  own  duty; 
“for  thou  art  my  patience,  O  Lord:  my  hope,  O  Lord, 
from  my  youth.”5  It  is  by  the  injustice  of  others,  that 
the  Lord  proves  and  makes  perfect  those  whom  he  brings 
to  his  service;  and  therefore  the  wise  man  exhorts  us: 
“Incline  thine  ear  and  receive  the  words  of  understand¬ 
ing,  and  make  not  haste  in  the  time  of  clouds.  Wait  on 
God  with  patience:  join  thyself  to  God  and  endure,  that 
thy  life  may  be  increased  in  the  latter  end.  Take  all  that 
shall  be  brought  upon  thee:  and  in  thy  sorrow  endure, 
and  in  thy  humiliation,  keep  patience.  For  gold  and  silver 
are  tried  in  the  fire,  but  acceptable  men  in  the  furnace  of 
humiliation.”6  The  merciful  father  whom  we  serve,  re¬ 
quires  from  us  this  proof  of  our  attachment,  and  he  so  or¬ 
ders  everything  in  his  providence  as  to  produce  lasting 
benefit  for  those  who,  resigned  to  his  dispensation,  observe 
his  injunction.  Hence,  the  apostle  Peter  tells  us  to  be  “mer¬ 
ciful,  modest,  humble,  not  rendering  evil  for  evil,  nor  rail¬ 
ing  for  railing,  but  contrariwise,  blessing,  for  unto  this  we 
are  called  that  we  may  inherit  a  blessing.”7  And  in  answer 
to  an  objection  natural  to  most  men,  he  adds,  “And  who  is 
he  that  can  hurt  you  if  you  be  zealous  of  good?  But  if  also 
you  suffer  any  thing  for  justice  sake;  blessed  are  you,  and 


i  Matt.  xi.  29. 

5  Ps.  Ixx.  5. 


2  Ps.  lxi.  1.  8  Ps.  lxi.  6.  4  Ps.  Ixx.  4. 

6  Eccli.  ii.  2,  3,  4,  5.  7  Pet.  iii.  8,  9. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


87 


be  not  afraid  of  their  fear,  and  be  not  troubled,  but  sanctify 
the  Lord  Christ  in  your  hearts,  .  .  .  that  whereas  they 
speak  evil  of  you,  they  may  be  ashamed  who  falsely  accuse 
your  good  conversation  in  Christ.  For  it  is  better,  doing 
well  (if  such  be  the  will  of  God,)  to  suffer,  than  doing  ill, 
because  Christ  also  died  once  for  our  sins,  the  just  for  the 
unjust.”8  Upon  the  same  principle  St.  Paul  writes  to  the 
Thessalonians,  “See  that  none  render  evil  for  evil  to  any 
man:  but  ever  follow  that  which  is  good  towards  each  other, 
and  towards  all  men.”9  These  injunctions  are  in  confor¬ 
mity  with  that  of  our  blessed  Lord,  “Love  your  enemies, 
do  good  to  them  that  hate  you:  and  pray  for  them  that 
persecute  and  calumniate  you,  that  you  may  be  children  of 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven,  who  maketh  his  sun  to  rise 
upon  the  good  and  the  bad,  and  raineth  upon  the  just  and 
the  unjust.”10  The  best  refutation  which  we  can  oppose  to 
the  slanders  with  which  we  are  assailed  will  be  the  exhi¬ 
bition  of  the  Christian  virtues  in  our  conduct.  Let  your 
lives  be  the  answer  to  those  that  vituperate  us.  “Be  you 
then  perfect  as  your  heavenly  Father  is  perfect;”11  and 
“Let  your  light  shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your 
good  works  and  glorify  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven.”12 
Thus  will  you  insure  blessings  for  yourselves,  and,  perhaps, 
convert  your  opponents. — This,  beloved  brethren,  is  the 
vengeance  of  Christianity. 

It  may  not  however  be  amiss  for  us  here  to  record  some 
instances  of  the  misrepresentation  and  persecution  which 
have  called  forth  these  remarks. — We  shall 
select  but  two  out  of  many — The  first  is  The  Outrage 
the  destruction  of  the  Ursuline  Convent  on  of  Charlestown. 
Mount  Benedict,  near  Boston,  on  the  night 
of  the  11th  of  August,  1834.  The  ruins  of  this  establishment 
yet  blacken  the  vicinity  of  Bunkers’s  Hill,  and  cast  a  dark 
shade  upon  the  soil  of  Massachusetts.  You  need  not  our 
recital  of  the  dastardly  assault,  the  extensive  robbery,  the 
deliberate  arson,  the  wanton  insolence,  the  cold  cruelty  and 
the  horrid  sacrilege  of  that  awful  night. 

We  shall  quote  the  words  of  one  of  the  few  members  of 

8  Pet.  iii.  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18.  9  Thess.  v.  15.  io  Matt.  v.  44,  45. 

ii  Matt.  v.  4.  12  Matt.  v.  16. 


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The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


the  legislature  of  that  State,  who  exhibited  themselves  an 
honorable  exception  to  the  body  in  which  they  were  found. 
This  gentleman  told  them  upon  their  floor.  “You  may  go 
from  Maine  to  the  Gulph  of  Mexico,  and  you  cannot  find  an 
act  similar  to  this — the  destruction  of  an  institution  for  in¬ 
struction,  inhabited  by  females,  mostly  children;  religion 
was  trampled  upon;  the  Bible  was  destroyed;  the  tomb  was 
broken  open;  the  ashes  of  the  dead  were  insulted;  the  fe¬ 
males  were  driven  from  their  beds  at  midnight,  half  naked; 
whilst  the  mob  was  exulting,  shouting,  dancing  and 
triumphing  amongst  the  warm  ashes  of  the  ruin  which  they 
had  made,  amidst  a  community,  the  most  enlightened  in 
the  United  States;  ten  thousand  persons  were  looking  on, 
and  not  one  arm  was  raised  to  protect  these  females  and 
their  property.  If,  sir,  the  stain  of  blood  is  not  upon  the 
land,  the  stain  of  cruelty  is  there.” 

It  was  planned  in  the  vicinity,  and  executed  within  view 
of  the  capital  of  the  New  England  States;  a  city  which  as¬ 
pired  to  the  character  of  liberality,  and  had  an  ambition 
to  be  ranked  amongst  the  seats  of  literature,  of  science, 
and  of  taste.  The  most  unfounded  calumnies  had  been  pre¬ 
viously  circulated,  in  order  to  furnish  a  pretext  to  achieve 
what  had  been  plotted,  but  even  this  pretext  had  been  re¬ 
moved,  for  the  local  magistracy  had  examined  into  the  al¬ 
leged  grounds,  and  declared  themselves  fully  convinced  of 
their  falsehood. 

In  this  case  therefore  there  was  a  blending  of  misrepre¬ 
sentation  and  of  persecution  of  the  worst  description. — 
Would  to  God  that  we  could  rest  here!  But  of  what  use 
would  it  be  for  us  to  endeavour  to  hide  that  which  has  as¬ 
tonished  distant  nations,  and  which  a  thousand  public  jour¬ 
nals  have  spread  in  such  a  variety  of  languages,  before  the 
eyes  of  the  civilized  world? 

The  declaration  of  a  most  respectable  committee  ap¬ 
pointed  at  a  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Boston,  to  in¬ 
vestigate  the  case,  after  the  destruction  had  been  perpe¬ 
trated;  having  refuted  the  calumnies  and  described  the 
outrage,  add  the  following  expressions  of  their  sentiments; 

“The  fact  that  the  dwelling  of  inoffensive  females  and 
children,  guiltless  of  wrong  to  the  persons,  property  or 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


89 


reputation  of  others,  and  reposing  in  fancied  security,  under 
the  protection  of  the  law,  has  been  thus  assaulted  by  a  riot¬ 
ous  mob,  and  ransacked,  plundered  and  burnt  to  the  ground 
and  its  terrified  inmates,  in  the  dead  hour  of  the  night 
driven  from  their  beds  into  the  fields;  and  that  this  should 
be  done  within  the  limits  of  one  of  the  most  populous  towns 
in  the  commonwealth,  and  in  the  midst  of  an  assembled 
multitude  of  spectators;  that  the  perpetrators  should  have 
been  engaged  for  seven  hours  or  more  in  the  work  of  de¬ 
struction,  with  hardly  an  effort  to  prevent  or  arrest  them; 
that  many  of  them  should  afterwards  be  so  far  sheltered 
by  public  sympathy  or  opinion,  as  to  render  the  ordinary 
means  of  detection  ineffectual;  and  that  the  sufferers  are 
entitled  to  no  legal  redress  from  the  public,  for  this  out¬ 
rage  against  their  persons  and  destruction  of  their  prop¬ 
erty,  is  an  event  of  fearful  import,  as  well  as  of  the  pro- 
foundest  shame  and  humiliation.” 

And  this  declaration  was  followed  by  solemn  and  re¬ 
peated  judicial  enquiries  and  trials,  in  the  process  of  which, 
however,  full  license  was  afforded  to  insult  the  feelings 
and  the  religion  of  that  community  whose  property  was  de¬ 
stroyed  and  some  of  whose  members  died  soon  after  the 
hardships  which  they  suffered  on  the  occasion;  whilst  mis¬ 
creants  who  boasted  of  their  activity  and  who  were  identi¬ 
fied  by  most  respectable  witnesses,  as  being  leaders  in  the 
transaction,  were  not  only  judicially  absolved,  but  were 
rewarded  by  the  spontaneous  contributions  of  that  public 
which  thronged  round  the  court  of  justice,  to  rejoice  with 
them  upon  their  deliverance.  For  our  own  part,  we  had  no 
desire  for  their  punishment;  but  we  feel  the  justice  of  an 
opinion,  that  has  been  frequently  expressed,  that  it  would 
have  been  infinitely  more  creditable  to  the  State  of  Massa¬ 
chusetts,  if  they  had  never  been  brought  to  trial. 

It  is  equally  notorious  that  notwithstanding  every  effort 
to  obstruct  the  expression  of  what  it  could  not  deny,  viz.  the 
innocence  of  our  religion  and  the  guilt  of  the  aggressors, 
the  legislature  of  that  State  was  fully  convinced  of  the 
falsehood  of  the  pretences  and  the  atrocity  of  the  outrage, 
and  it  declared  that  the  convent  was  destroyed  by  a  lawless 
and  ferocious  mob;  and  declared  that  it  “felt  itself  bound 


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The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


in  support  of  the  constitution,  and  in  vindication  of  the 
honor  of  the  commonwealth  to  declare  its  deliberate  and 
indignant  condemnation  of  such  an  atrocious  infraction  of 
the  laws.”  And  yet  we  must  avow  that  upon  reading  the 
list  of  the  enormous  majority  which  decided  against  afford¬ 
ing  any  redress  or  compensation,  we  lament  to  find  that  it 
contains  names  which  we  did  not  expect  to  see  upon  it. 
And  if  the  continuation  of  the  same  conduct  be  evidence 
of  the  existence  of  the  same  disposition,  our  opinion  respect¬ 
ing  that  State  and  its  legislature  must  continue  unchanged. 

In  a  committee  of  the  legislature,  appointed  to  consider 
the  petition,  for  compensation,  presented  by  the  sufferers, 

a  majority  reported  that  though  the  in- 
Catholic  jured  persons  could  not  claim  indemnity 

Allegiance.  for  their  losses  from  the  government  as  a 

matter  of  right,  yet,  to  enforce  respect  for 
religious  freedom,  and  the  security  of  life,  liberty,  property, 
“  as  also  to  do  what  yet  may  be  done,  to  soften  the  reproach 
which  rests  upon  the  character  of  the  state,  by  reason  of  the 
aforesaid  outrage,”  a  gratuity  should  be  given. — A  minority 
of  the  committee  reported  against  granting  this  relief;  sus¬ 
taining  its  recommendation,  amongst  other  grounds,  upon 
the  following: — viz.  “That  Catholics  acknowledging ,  as 
they  do ,  the  supremacy  of  a  foreign  potentate  or  power , 
could  not  claim  under  our  government  the  protection  as 
citizens  of  the  commonwealth,  hut  were  entitled  only  to  our 
countenance  and  aid  so  far  as  the  rites  of  national  hospi¬ 
tality  might  serve  to  dictate” 

We  scarcely  need  observe  to  you,  that  this  passage  opens 
with  what  is  notoriously  untrue,  viz.,  “That  we  acknowledge 
the  supremacy  of  a  foreign  potentate  or  power  in  that 
sense  which  can  interfere  with  our  duty  as  citizens.  We 
owe  no  religious  allegiance  to  any  State  in  this  Union,  nor 
to  its  general  government.  No  one  of  them  claims  any  su¬ 
premacy  or  dominion  over  us  in  our  spiritual  or  ecclesiasti¬ 
cal  concerns:  nor  does  it  claim  any  such  right  or  power 
over  any  of  our  fellow  citizens,  of  what  soever  religion  they 
may  be:  and  if  such  a  claim  was  made,  neither  would  our 
fellow  citizens,  nor  would  we  submit  thereto.  They  and  we, 
by  our  constitutional  principles,  are  free  to  give  this  eccles- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


91 


iastical  supremacy  to  whom  we  please,  or  to  refuse  it  to 
every  one,  if  we  so  think  proper:  but,  they  and  we  owe  civil 
and  political  allegiance  to  the  several  States  in  which  we  re¬ 
side,  and  also,  to  our  general  government.  When,  there¬ 
fore,  using  our  undoubted  right,  we  acknowledge  the  spirit¬ 
ual  and  ecclesiastical  supremacy  of  the  chief  bishop  of  our 
universal  church,  the  Pope  or  bishop  of  Rome,  we  do  not 
thereby  forfeit  our  claim  to  the  civil  and  political  protec¬ 
tion  of  the  commonwealth;  for,  we  do  not  detract  from  the 
allegiance  to  which  the  temporal  governments  are  plainly 
entitled,  and  which  we  cheerfully  give;  nor  do  we  ac¬ 
knowledge  any  civil  or  political  supremacy,  or  power  over 
us  in  any  foreign  potentate  or  power,  though  that  potentate 
might  be  the  chief  pastor  of  our  church. 

Moreover,  it  is  a  notorious  fact,  that  upon  preparing  to  be 
admitted  to  citizenship,  every  Catholic  emigrant  distinctly 
renounces  upon  oath,  all  allegiance  in  civil  and  political 
concerns  to  any  foreign  prince,  power,  state,  or  potentate. 

The  passage  also  contains  another  manifest  falsehood 
and  absurdity,  viz.,  that  Catholics  cannot  claim  protection 
under  our  government  as  citizens. — Now,  it  is  notorious 
that  they  who  are  born  in  the  country  are  citizens  by  the 
fact  of  their  birth,  and  respecting  Catholic  emigrants,  the 
government  fully  aware  of  their  spiritual  and  ecclesiastical 
relations  to  the  head  of  their  church,  has  deliberately  ad¬ 
mitted  them  to  become  citizens;  and  therefore  it  is  mani¬ 
festly  absurd  to  assert,  that  citizens  can  not,  under  our  gov¬ 
ernment,  claim  protection  in  that  character  in  which  they 
have  been  admitted  by  the  government  itself. 

This  attempt  to  proclaim  the  members  of  our  church 
actually  deprived  of  their  rights  of  citizenship,  was  adding 
new  and  more  extensive  and  more  odious  persecution  to 
the  atrocity  of  the  cruel  sacrilege  for  which  they  refused 
redress,  and  although  the  majority  of  the  legislature  re¬ 
pudiated  this  outrageous  and  absurd  passage;  yet,  by  an 
overwhelming  vote,  they  acceded  to  the  sentiments  of  its 
compilers,  in  withholding  compensation  and  to  the  present 
day,  the  Catholics  of  the  diocess  of  Boston  are  left  without 
redress,  notwithstanding  the  valueless  declaration  of  the 
legislature,  “in  vindication  of  the  commonwealth,  of  its 


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The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


deliberate  and  indignant  condemnation  of  such  an  atrocious 
violation  of  the  laws.” 

The  other  instance  which  we  would  specify  is  one  which 
though  exceedingly  to  he  lamented,  is  not  of  a  novel  char¬ 
acter^  It  is  the  development  in  this  country 
Anti-Catholic  of  a  spirit  which  has  during  ages  fre- 
Books.  quently  manifested  itself  in  other  regions. 

It  has  been  exhibited  in  New  York  princi¬ 
pally  in  the  patronage  afforded  by  the  religious  teachers 
of  highly  respectable  bodies  of  our  fellow  citizens,  to 
degraded  beings  of  the  most  profligate  class,  who  calum¬ 
niated  the  most  pure  and  useful  institutions.  Did  not  the 
history  of  other  places  exhibit  to  us  similar  revolting  in¬ 
stances,  we  should  indeed  question  the  possibility  of  what 
we  have  witnessed.  Men  reputed  to  have  understanding 
and  considered  to  be  of  good  character,  vouching  to  the 
world  for  the  correctness  of  charges  of  the  most  atrocious 
nature,  made  against  the  most  respectable  clergymen  and 
religious  communities,  whose  members  have  during  more 
than  a  century,  by  their  personal  virtue,  by  their  public 
charities  and  by  their  self  devotion,  won  the  esteem 
and  applause  not  only  of  the  members  of  their  own  church 
but  of  those  who  were  opposed  thereto;  charges  which,  if 
true,  involved  the  condemnation  of  the  city  which  tolerated 
the  existence  of  the  criminals  against  whom  those  charges 
were  made;  charges,  which  necessarily  implicated  the  pub¬ 
lic  authorities  of  Canada  and  the  whole  British  government, 
as  abettors  of  the  grossest  crimes;  charges  whose  falsehood 
was  exposed  by  American  Protestants,  the  impossibility  of 
whose  truth  was  attested  by  Canadian  Protestants,  and 
whose  imputation  was  indignantly  rejected  by  both.  Yet 
has  the  world  witnessed  those  charges  again  brought  for¬ 
ward  with  unblushing  front,  by  obscure  imposters  of  the 
most  vile  description,  whose  notorious  profligacy  has  been 
testified  by  the  voice  of  the  city  which  they  polluted  and 
slandered;  beings  in  whom  it  was  hard  to  say  whether  vice, 
or  recklessness,  or  insanity  predominated;  and  those  charges 
sustained,  perhaps  suggested,  and  pertinaciously  adhered 
to  after  the  demonstration  of  their  absurdity,  by  men  whose 
station  supposes  intelligence  and  integrity. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


93 


In  making  the  effort  to  persuade  ourselves  that  men 
of  this  class  were  imposed  upon  and  continued  to  be  the 
dupes  of  such  wretched  beings,  what  a  picture  of  human 
weakness  do  we  contemplate?  Yet  assenting  to  this  sup¬ 
position,  we  may,  perhaps,  be  able  to  account  for  the  gen¬ 
eral  exertions  made  by  the  pulpit  and  the  press,  to  exhibit 
us  as  what  we  are  not,  and  to  excite  against  us  unmerited 
hostility  and  persecution.  We  should,  moreover,  in  this 
extraordinary  supposition,  cease  to  be  astonished  at  the 
credulity  and  delusion  of  many  of  our  fellow  citizens,  and 
we  could  imagine  some  cause  for  that  want  of  charity  in  our 
regard,  whose  prevalence  we  witness  and  deplore. 

Yet,  whatever  allowances  we  may  feel  disposed  to  make 
in  favor  of  those  who  persecute  and  calumniate  us  and  who 
speak  all  manner  of  evil  falsely  concerning  us,  we  must 
point  out  two  exceedingly  bad  consequences  of  this  misrep¬ 
resentation.  The  first  is  the  extensive  corruption  of  mor¬ 
ality;  the  other  is  the  encouragement  of  unbelief. 

Nothing  is  more  surely  calculated  for  the  destruction  of 
that  purity  which  is  the  soul  of  virtue,  than  the  perusal  of 
lascivious  tales;  and  never  did  the  most  unprincipled  au¬ 
thor  compile  any  work  more  foul  in  this  respect,  than  the 
productions  of  our  assailants,  and  never  was  there  exhi¬ 
bited  a  more  voracious  appetite  for  mischievous  aliment 
than  that  which  they  have  unfortunately  excited.  With 
what  avidity  have  not  the  numerous  and  heavy  editions 
of  those  immodest  fictions  been  taken  up,  disseminated 
through  the  country,  purchased  and  introduced  in  the  name 
of  religion  amongst  the  aged  and  the  young  of  both  sexes, 
in  every  state  and  territory  of  our  Union?  “The  father 
waketh  for  the  daughter  when  no  man  knoweth,  ‘says  the 
wise  man,  in  the  book  of  inspiration,’  and  the  care  for  her 
taketh  away  his  sleep  ...  in  her  virginity,  lest  she  should 
be  corrupted,  and  having  a  husband,  lest  she  should  misbe¬ 
have  herself.”13  And  yet  he  places  these  obscene  libels  in 
her  hands  as  books  of  religious  instruction!  “Hedge  in 
thine  ears  with  thorns;  hear  not  a  wicked  tongue,”14  was 
one  of  his  admonitions.  “On  a  daughter  that  turneth  not 
away  herself,  set  a  strict  watch:  lest  finding  an  opportunity 


13  Eccli.  xlii.  9,  10. 


14  Eccli.  xxviii.  2,  8. 


94  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

she  abuse  herself:  take  heed  of  the  impudence  of  her  eyes 
and  wonder  not  if  she  slight  thee.”15  Here  we  perceive  the 
consequence  of  allowing  the  imagination  to  be  contaminated 
by  familiarity  with  dangerous  reading.  And  we  are  per¬ 
suaded  that  the  cause  of  pure  morality  and  the  security  of 
domestic  happiness  have  seldom  been  more  grievously  in¬ 
jured,  than  by  the  contrivers  and  the  abettors  of  those  in¬ 
decent  falsehoods,  which  in  the  name  of  religion  are  pro¬ 
mulgated  against  our  institutions.  Affecting  the  guardian¬ 
ship  of  virtue,  they  undermine  its  foundations. 

The  effort  for  our  destruction  is  a  charge  against  five- 
sixths  of  the  Christian  world.  It  is  not  a  charge  made  ex¬ 
clusively  upon  those  of  our  church,  who  in  the  various  parts 
of  the  globe  form  a  body  of  fully  two-thirds  of  the  whole 
number  that  profess  the  religion  of  the  Saviour;  but  it  is  an 
accusation  against  all  those  who,  though  separated  from  our 
communion,  believe  in  those  doctrines  and  adhere  to  those 
practices  which  the  compilers  of  those  libels  proclaim  to 
be  antichristian;  and  when  their  numbers  are  added  to  ours, 
the  aggregate  is  at  least  the  amount  that  we  have  stated. 
What  an  encouragement  is  it  then,  to  the  opponents  of 
Christianity  when  our  revilers  proclaim  that  five-sixths  of 
the  Christian  world  are  immoral  hypocrites  or  the  dupes  of 
such  monsters  of  iniquity  ?  Yet  such  is  the  accusation  seri¬ 
ously  made!  We  have  then,  since  the  production  of  those 
charges,  and  we  believe,  encouraged  by  their  promulgation, 
beheld  organized  bands  of  unbelievers,  systematically  ar¬ 
rayed,  occupying  the  ground  thus  yielded  to  them  by  those 
who  affect  such  zeal  for  Christianity;  we  have  seen  them 
celebrating  with  anticipated  but  indeed  premature  triumph 
the  destruction  of  the  Christian  name.  How  will  our  ac¬ 
cusers  dislodge  them  from  their  position,  when  they  exult- 
ingly  proclaim  that  the  principles  and  practice  of  five-sixths 
of  the  Christian  world  during  three  centuries;  and  of  entire 
Christendom,  during  the  preceding  ages,  have  been  grossly 
corrupt,  necessarily  demoralizing,  and  in  direct  opposition 
to  what  they  call  the  spirit  of  Christianity  ? 

We  shall  dwell  no  longer  upon  this  painful  subject.  We 
have  before  us  the  admonition  of  the  Saviour,  “if  the  world 


is  Eccll.  xxvl.  13,  14. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


95 


hate  you,  know  ye  that  it  hated  me  before  you.  If  you  had 
been  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own:  but  be¬ 
cause  you  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have 
chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the  Christ  and 
world  hateth  you.  Remember  my  word  the  World, 
that  I  said  to  you :  the  servant  is  not  greater 
than  his  master,  if  they  have  persecuted  me  they  will  also 
persecute  you;  if  they  have  kept  my  word  they  will  keep 
yours  also.  But  these  things  will  they  do  to  you  for  my 
name’s  sake,  because  they  know  not  him  who  sent  me.”16 
“These  things  I  have  spoken  to  you  that  in  me  you  may  have 
peace.  In  the  world  you  shall  have  distress:  but  have  con¬ 
fidence,  I  have  overcome  the  world.”17  We  claim  protec¬ 
tion  from  the  laws  of  our  country;  we  have  the  sympathy 
of  a  large  portion  of  our  fellow-citizens;  our  trials  will 
have  an  end,  and  like  our  divine  Saviour  we  too  shall  over¬ 
come  the  world;  hut  our  victory  is  to  be  achieved  not  by  the 
arm  of  the  flesh  but  by  the  sword  of  the  spirit  and  the  might 
of  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  “In  our  patience  we  must  possess 
our  souls.”18  Our  forefathers  in  the  faith,  the  immediate 
disciples  of  the  Saviour,  the  apostles  themselves,  were  vili¬ 
fied,  misrepresented  and  suffered  patiently  for  sake  of 
him  who  for  their  sake  was  made  willingly  a  victim  upon 
the  cross.  The  apostle  of  nations  says  “we  are  fools  for 
Christ’s  sake,  .  .  .  even  unto  this  hour  we  both  hunger 
and  thirst,  and  are  naked,  and  we  are  buffetted,  and  have 
no  fixed  abode,  and  we  labour  working  with  our  own  hands: 
we  are  reviled  and  we  bless,  we  are  persecuted  and  we  suf¬ 
fer  it,  we  are  blasphemed  and  we  entreat;  we  are  made  as  the 
refuse  of  this  world,  the  offscouring  of  all  even  until  now.”19 
In  his  second  epistle  to  his  beloved  Timothy,  he  assures  him 
that  “all  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer  per¬ 
secution.”20  Whence  the  prince  of  the  apostles,  Peter,  ad¬ 
monishes  his  flock:  “Let  none  of  you  suffer  as  a  murderer, 
or  a  thief,  or  a  railer,  or  a  coveter  of  other  men’s  things: 
but  if  as  a  Christian,  let  him  not  be  ashamed,  but  let  him 


is  John  xv.  18,  19,  20,  21, 
19  1  Cor.  lv.  10,  11,  12,  13. 


17  John  xvii.  33. 


} 3  Luke  xxl.  19, 
20  1  Tim.  iii.  12. 


96  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

glorify  God  in  this  name,”21  and  therefore  we  read  of  this 
apostle  and  his  associate,  in  the  Acts:  that  when  they  were 
scourged  “they  indeed  went  from  the  presence  of  the  coun¬ 
cil  rejoicing  that  they  were  accounted  worthy  to  suffer  re¬ 
proach  for  the  name  of  Jesus.”22  Thus  in  every  age,  from 
that  period  to  the  present,  we  find  that  in  some  region  or 
other  does  the  Lord  call  upon  some  of  his  followers  to  en¬ 
dure  mockery  and  reproof  and  even  death  for  his  sake,  but 
every  where  we  find  that  not  only  is  the  blood  of  the  martyr 
the  enrichment  of  the  soil  of  Christianity,  but  the  imitation 
of  the  meekness  of  the  Saviour  by  the  professor  of  his  law, 
is  the  edification  of  the  world  and  the  triumph  of  religion. 
Let  the  models  here  proposed  be  then  examples  for  our  imi¬ 
tation.  Let  the  maxims  here  inculcated  be  the  rules  of  our 
conduct,  and  we  shall  walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  in  which 
we  are  called,  and  of  the  saints  with  whom  we  are,  by  our 
doctrine,  associated. 

Far  be  it  from  us,  beloved  brethren,  even  were  it  in  our 
power,  to  seek  the  injury  of  those  persons  by  whom  we  are 
assailed.  They  who  belong  not  to  the  household  of  the  faith 
are  daily  called  from  the  east  and  from  the  west,  to  be 
seated  at  the  tables  from  which  not  only  were  they  es¬ 
tranged  but  to  which  they  had  declared  hostility.  How 
many  such  glorious  conversions  have  we  not  witnessed? 
And  has  it  not  been  so  from  the  beginning?  “Saul  as  yet 
breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against  the  dis¬ 
ciples  of  the  Lord,  went  to  the  high  priest,  and  asked  of  him 
letters  to  Damascus  to  the  synagogues  that  if  he  found  any 
men  or  women  of  this  way  he  might  bring  them  to  Jeru¬ 
salem.”23  Yet  the  Lord  declared  to  Ananias  “this  man  is 
to  me  a  vessel  of  election  to  carry  my  name  before  kings 
and  gentiles  and  the  children  of  Israel,  for  I  will  shew  him 
how  great  things  he  must  suffer  for  my  name’s  sake.”  24 
And  how  nobly  did  he  fulfil  his  glorious  commission?  Yet 
when  “the  witnesses  laid  down  their  garments  at  the  feet 
of  a  young  man  whose  name  was  Saul  and  who  was  con¬ 
senting  to  the  death  of  Stephen”25  whilst  they  stoned  him; 
did  not  this  Saul  stand  forth  as  the  prominent  persecutor 


21  1  Peter  iv.  15,  16. 
24  Acts  ix.  15,  16. 


22  Acts  v.  41. 


23  Acts  lx.  1,  2. 
25  Acts  vii.  57. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


97 


of  our  holy  religion?  How  was  God  glorified  and  the  church 
aided  by  his  conversion?  How  noble,  how  becoming  was 
the  demeanor  of  the  first  martyr  of  the  church,  when  imi¬ 
tating  the  example  of  his  master,  whilst  he  was  over¬ 
whelmed  by  the  missiles  of  his  foes,  he  besought  his  Saviour, 
saying,  “O  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge?”26  And 
the  prayer  of  Stephen  gave  a  Paul  to  Christianity.  Beloved 
brethren,  his  conduct  is  the  exhibition  of  our  duty. 

We  now,  brethren,  address  you  with  affectionate  inter¬ 
est  upon  another  topic.  We  are  gratified  by  the  spiritual 
progress  of  numbers,  but  deeply  affected 
by  the  negligence  of  too  many  who,  how-  Religious 
ever  sound  may  be  their  faith,  yet  do  not  Duties  of  the 
reduce  their  principles  to  practice.  We  Catholic, 
are  aware  of  the  many  difficulties  which 
exist,  because  of  the  fewness  of  the  clergy,  the  remoteness 
of  churches,  the  sparseness  of  the  flocks,  and  a  variety  of 
other  causes.  Yet,  brethren,  we  are  constrained  to  say,  that 
there  exists  much  room  for  some  reproof  because  of  negli¬ 
gence  even  where  those  obstacles  are  not  found.  Attend, 
we  entreat  you,  to  the  admonition  of  St.  James:  “Be  ye 
doers  of  the  word  and  not  hearers  only,  deceiving  your  own 
selves.  For  if  a  man  be  a  hearer  of  the  word  and  not  a  doer 
he  shall  be  compared  to  a  man  beholding  his  own  counten¬ 
ance  in  a  glass.  For  he  beheld  himself  and  went  his  way, 
and  presently  forgot  what  manner  of  man  he  was.  But  he 
that  hath  looked  into  the  perfect  law  of  liberty,  and  hath 
continued  therein,  not  becoming  a  forgetful  hearer  but  a 
doer  of  the  work;  this  man  shall  be  blessed  indeed.”27  And 
again,  “For  even  as  the  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead, 
so  also  faith  without  works  is  dead.”28  We  have  noticed 
with  regret  that  even  where  belief  of  doctrine  was  in  full 
vigour,  the  duties  of  religion  were  not  always  regularly  ful¬ 
filled,  but  yielding  to  the  tempter  or  corrupted  by  evil  com¬ 
munication;  even  they  who  professed  the  word  of  truth  re¬ 
jected  wisdom  and  discipline,  and  wearied  themselves  in 
the  way  of  iniquity  and  destruction.  And  whilst  we  are  con¬ 
soled  and  edified  by  the  visible  increase  of  piety  with  which 
our  regions  have  been  blessed,  we  would  call  earnestly  upon 

2a  Acts  vil.  59.  27  James  1.  22,  23,  24,  25.  28  James  li.  26. 


98  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

those  who  as  yet  seem  insensible.  We  would  lay  before  them 
the  assurance  of  the  Lord  by  this  prophet :  “But  if  the  wicked 
do  penance  for  all  his  sins  which  he  hath  committed,  and 
keep  all  my  commandments,  and  do  judgment  and  justice 
living,  he  shall  live  and  he  shall  not  die.  I  will  not  remem¬ 
ber  all  the  iniquities  that  he  hath  done :  in  his  j  ustice  which  he 
hath  wrought  he  shall  live.  Is  it  my  will  that  a  sinner  should 
die,  saith  the  Lord  God,  and  not  that  he  should  he  con¬ 
verted  from  his  ways  and  live?”29  Well  may  we  address 
such  of  you  as  have  been  unwise,  in  this  tender  strain  of 
invitation  used  by  the  Lord  himself :  “Be  converted  and 
do  penance  for  all  your  iniquities  and  iniquity  shall  not 
be  your  ruin.  Cast  away  from  you  all  your  transgressions, 
by  which  you  have  transgressed,  and  make  to  yourselves 
a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit,  and  why  will  you  die,  O  house 
of  Israel?  For  I  desire  not  the  death  of  him  that  dieth, 
saith  the  Lord  God;  return  ye  and  live.”30  To  those  who 
feel  that  they  have  “wearied  themselves  in  the  way  of 
iniquity  and  destruction  and  have  walked  through  hard 
ways,  but  the  way  of  the  Lord  they  have  not  known.”31  The 
Saviour  especially  addresses  those  affectionate  words: 
“Come  to  me  all  you  that  labour  and  are  heavy  burdened, 
and  I  will  refresh  you.”32 

We  should  all  exert  ourselves  to  establish  the  dominion 
of  religion  in  our  souls.  The  end  thereof  is,  by  serving  God 
in  the  manner  that  he  desires,  to  eradicate  vice  and  purify 
ourselves  from  sin.  Born  children  of  wrath,  dead  in  our 
offences  and  sins,  we  can  be  raised  up  and  quickened  only 
through  the  exceeding  charity  wherewith  he  loves  us  and 
gives  us  the  abundant  riches  of  his  grace  in  his  bounty 
towards  us  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Beligion  is  not  satisfied  with  the  mere  rooting  out  of  vice, 
there  must  be  efforts  to  do  positive  good.  It  is  therefore 
that  the  Lord  says,  by  the  prophet  Isaias,  “Wash  yourselves, 
be  clean,  take  away  the  evil  of  your  devices  from  my  eyes: 
cease  to  do  perversely:  learn  to  do  well,”33  and  to  the  same 
effect  the  apostle  St.  Peter  tells  him  that  will  love  life  and 
see  good  days,  “Let  him  decline  from  evil,  and  do  good,  let 


29  Ezec.  xviii.  21,  22,  23. 
32  Matt.  xi.  28. 


so  Ezec.  xviii.  30,  31,  32.  31  Wisd.  v.  7. 

S3  Isaias  L  16,  17. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


99 


him  seek  after  peace  and  pursue  it.  Because  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord  are  upon  the  just,  and  his  ears  unto  their  prayers:  but 
the  countenance  of  the  Lord  is  upon  them  that  do  evil 
things.”34  Upon  the  same  principle  it  is  declared  by  Eze¬ 
kiel,35  that  besides  doing  penance  for  all  his  sins  which  he 
hath  committed,  the  wicked  man  should  “Keep  all  good 
commandments  and  do  judgment  and  justice,”  if  he  would 
obtain  life  and  again,36  “and  when  the  wicked  turneth  him¬ 
self  from  his  wickedness  which  he  hath  wrought,  and  doeth 
judgment  and  justice:  he  shall  save  his  soul  alive.”  The 
beloved  disciple  St.  John,  assures  us,37  that  “he  that  doth 
the  will  of  God  abideth  forever;”  and  again,38  “Know  ye 
that  every  one  also,  who  doth  justice  is  born  of  God;”39 
“Little  children,  let  no  man  deceive  you.  He  that  doth  jus¬ 
tice  is  just,  even  as  God  is  just:”  farther,40  “And  whatsoever 
we  shall  ask  we  shall  receive  of  him:  because  we  keep  his 
commandments,  and  do  those  things  which  are  pleasing  in 
his  sight.”41  For  this  is  the  charity  of  God,  that  we  keep  his 
commandments. 

The  religious  man  then  not  only  refrains  from  evil  but 
he  does  good;  he  not  only  offends  no  man,  but  endeavours, 
as  far  as  he  is  able,  to  do  service  to  every  one:  he  not  only 
purifies  himself  and  his  dwelling  from  the  filth  of  iniquity, 
but  he  enriches  his  abode  and  decorates  his  soul  with  orna¬ 
ments  of  virtue.  In  his  relation  to  society,  he  endeavours  to 
do  unto  others  as  he  would  be  done  by,  not  only  is  he  strictly 
just,  but  he  is  kind,  merciful,  compassionate,  and  chari¬ 
table.  To  the  state  he  is  loyal,  faithful,  obedient  and  at¬ 
tached,  using  those  rights  which  he  possesses,  not  for  the 
purpose  of  party,  nor  for  the  private  emolument  of  himself 
or  of  his  friends,  but  for  the  general  welfare  and  advantage; 
discharging  the  duties  of  any  office  in  which  he  may  be 
placed,  not  capriciously,  nor  negligently,  nor  influenced  by 
prejudice,  or  by  partiality;  but  honestly  without  fear  or 
favour,  or  affection,  for  the  welfare  of  the  people,  the  credit 
of  the  state  and  the  approbation  of  his  God.  To  his  neigh¬ 
bours  he  is  attentive,  conciliating,  respectful  and  useful:  for 
his  family  industrious,  affectionate  and  devoted,  he  feels 

84  1  Pet.  iii.  11,  12.  35  xviil.  21.  36  xviii.  28.  37  1  John  ii.  16. 

38  1  John  ii.  29.  39  1  John  iii.  7.  40  1  John  iii.  22.  41  1  John  v.  3. 


100  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

the  responsibility  under  which  he  is  placed  of  guarding  their 
health,  of  providing  for  their  wants,  of  promoting  their  in¬ 
terest,  of  securing  their  prosperity,  of  watching  over  their 
education,  of  superintending  their  discipline,  of  cultivating 
their  minds,  of  regulating  their  morals,  of  winning  their 
hearts  to  the  love  of  virtue,  and  of  leading  them  by  his  ex¬ 
ample  in  the  path  to  heaven.  These,  beloved  brethren, 
are  the  important  objects  to  which  your  earliest  and  most 
assiduous  care  should  be  devoted.  And  doing  these  things, 
you  shall  through  the  merits  of  your  blessed  Saviour  obtain 
that  glorious  inheritance  which  he  has  purchased  for  you 
at  the  price  of  his  blood,  and  the  attainment  of  which  is  the 
chief  object  of  religion. 

But  to  secure  this  desirable  end,  we  must  use  the  pro¬ 
per  means:  and  first,  beloved  brethren,  we  would  remind 
you,  that  “our  confidence  must  be  through  Christ  towards 
God,”42  for  “we  are  not  sufficient  to  think  any  thing  of  our¬ 
selves,  as  of  ourselves;  but,  our  sufficiency  is  from  God.”43 
Who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  powers  of  darkness  and 
hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  the  son  of  his  love; 
in  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood  for  the  re¬ 
mission  of  sins.  ...  44  “and  through  him  to  reconcile  all 
things  unto  himself,  making  peace  through  the  blood  of 
his  cross,  both  as  to  things  in  earth,  and  things  in  heaven.” 
It  is  therefore  that  we  can  have  “peace  with  God  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”45  “For  if  when  we  were  enemies, 
we  were  reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  his  son :  much 
more  being  reconciled,  shall  we  be  saved  by  his  life  and  not 
only  so,  but  we  also  glory  in  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  we  have  received  reconciliation.”46  For 
it  is  impossible,  that  with  the  blood  of  oxen  and  goats,  sins 
should  be  taken  away,  wherefore,  when  he  cometh  into  the 
world  he  saith,  “sacrifice  and  oblation  thou  wouldst  not: 
but,  a  body  thou  hast  fitted  to  me:  holocausts  for  sin  did 
not  please  thee:  then,  said  I,  behold  I  come,  in  the  head  of 
the  book  it  is  written  of  me,  that  I  should  do  thy  will  O  God 
....  In  the  which  will  we  are  sanctified  by  the  oblation 
of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  once.”47  But  how  once  at  the 

42  2  Cor.  iii.  5.  43  Coloss,  i.  13,  14.  44  i.  20. 

45  Rom.  v.  10,  11.  46  Heb.  x.  4,  5,  6,  7,  10.  47  Heb.  x.  10. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


101 


end  of  ages  he  hath  appeared  for  the  destruction  of  sin  by 
the  sacrifice  of  himself.  Therefore  did  the  apostle  St.  Peter 
testify.48  “This  is  the  stone  which  was  rejected  by  you  the 
builders:  which  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner:  neither 
is  there  salvation  in  any  other.  For  there  is  no  other  name 
under  heaven  given  to  man  whereby  we  must  be  saved.” 
Thus  it  is  through  the  redemption  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
that  we  must  have  access  to  God  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
and  the  grace  to  advance  in  virtue. 

And  this  must  be  done  by  the  belief  of  those  doctrines 
which  he  has  revealed,  for  the  apostle  assures  us  that  “with¬ 
out  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God:  for  he  that  cometh 
to  God  must  believe  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  a  rewarder  to 
them  that  seek  him.”49  This  was  but  publishing  what  the 
Saviour  himself  had  declared,  in  that  beautiful  prayer 
which  he  addressed  to  his  Father  at  the  termination  of  the 
discourse  which  he  made  to  his  disciples  when,  about  to 
be  taken  from  them,  his  affection  was  exhibited  in  extra¬ 
ordinary  tenderness  of  expressions.”50  “Now  this  is  eternal 
life,  that  they  may  know  thee  the  only  and  true  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent.”  And  to  this  end  he  be¬ 
sought,51  “Sanctify  them  in  truth :  thy  word  is  truth.”52  “And 
not  for  them  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them  also  who  through 
their  word  shall  believe  in  me:68  that  they  may  all  be  one  as 
thou,  Father  in  me,  and  I  in  thee:  that  they  may  also  be  one 
in  us.”  St.  Paul  exhibits  to  us  the  manner  in  which  this 
apostolic  testimony  is  given,  as  the  foundation  of  faith,  so 
that  persons  may  be  brought  through  the  word  of  those 
apostles  to  believe  in  Christ.54  “For  whosoever  shall  call 
upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved.  How  then  shall 
they  call  upon  him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed?  Or 
how  shall  they  believe  him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard, 
and  how  shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher?  And  how 
shall  they  preach  unless  they  be  sent?  As  it  is  written. 
How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them  that  preach  the  gospel  of 
peace,  of  them  that  bring  the  tidings  of  good  things!  But 
all  do  not  obey  the  gospel.  For  Isaias  saith:  “Lord  who 
hath  believed  our  report?  Faith  then  cometh  by  hearing, 

48  Acts  iv.  11,  12.  49  Heb.  xi.  6.  so  John  xvii.  3.  5i  v.  17. 

52  20.  53  21.  54  Rom.  x.  13,  14,  15,  16,  17. 


102  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

and  hearing  by  the  word  of  Christ.”  And  we  find  it  re¬ 
corded  in  the  Acts,55  that  Christ  declared  to  those  apostles, 
“You  shall  receive  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  coming 
upon  you,  and  you  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  in  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  and  in  all  Judea  and  Samaria,  and  even  to  the  utter¬ 
most  parts  of  the  earth.”  St.  Matthew  informs  us  of  what 
things  they  were  to  testify,56  “And  Jesus  coming,  spoke  to 
them,  saying,  all  power  is  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth.  Going  therefore  teach  ye  all  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I 
commanded  you:  and  behold,  I  am  with  you  all  days  to  the 
end  of  the  world.”  But  as  they  were  a  very  limited  number, 
they  could  not  teach  all  nations,  by  their  mere  personal  ex¬ 
ertions;  and  since  they  were  mortal,  they  could  not  continue 
teaching  all  days  to  the  end  of  the  world.  To  effect  what  he 
directed,  therefore,  he  communicated  to  them  the  power  of 
extending  to  others  that  authority  which  was  contained  in 
their  own  commission;  as  he  came  forth,  sent  by  his  Father, 
not  merely  to  instruct  by  his  personal  teaching,  but  to  con¬ 
stitute  other  witnesses,  with  authority  to  testify  by  their 
teaching  what  he  had  said  and  done;  wherefore  St.  John 
informs  us,57  “The  disciples  therefore  were  glad  when  they 
saw  the  Lord,  He  therefore  said  to  them  again,  peace  be  to 
you,  as  the  Father  sent  me,  so  I  also  send  you.”  In  the  same 
gospel  we  are  instructed  by  himself  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  Father  sent  him.58  “For  I  have  not  spoken  of  myself,  but 
the  Father  who  sent  me,  he  gave  me  commandment  what  I 
should  say,  and  what  I  should  speak,  and  I  know  that  his 
commandment  is  life  everlasting.  The  things  therefore  that 
I  speak,  even  as  the  Father  said  unto  me  do  I  speak.”  Thus 
we  find  the  apostles  fulfilling  his  views  by  immediately  as¬ 
sociating  several  well  instructed  members  of  the  faithful 
into  their  commission,  ordaining  them  to  be  their  co-oper¬ 
ators  for  the  purpose  of  spreading  abroad  the  good  tidings 
into  every  nation,  and  of  perpetuating  the  testimony  to  the 
end  of  the  world.  Thus  St.  Paul  directs  Timothy,59  “The 
things  which  thou  hast  heard  of  me  by  many  witnesses,  the 

es  Acts,  i.  8.  56  xxviii.  IS,  10,  20.  57  xx.  20,  21. 

58  xii.  49,  50.  59  2  Tim.  ii.  2. 


103 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 

same  command  to  faithful  men  who  may  be  fit  to  teach 
others  also.”  And  to  Titus  he  writes,60  “For  this  cause  I  left 
thee  in  Crete  that  thou  shouldst  set  in  order  the  things  that 
are  wanting  and  shouldst  ordain  priests  in  every  city.”  And 
this  had  been  so  extensively  accomplished  in  the  days  of 
the  apostles,  that  St.  Paul  proclaims,61  “But  I  say,  have  they 
not  heard?  Yes  verily,  their  sound  hath  gone  forth  into 
all  the  earth,  and  their  words  unto  the  ends  of  the  world.” 
And  therefore  it  was  only  required  to  continue  in  the  same 
manner,  and  upon  the  same  principle  to  perpetuate  the 
teaching  body,  by  securing  in  the  same  manner  the  con¬ 
tinuation  of  its  members;  and  this  has  been  evidently  done, 
even  to  this  day,  by  preserving  the  succession  of  the  bishops 
of  the  church  in  communion  with  the  successor  of  that 
apostle,  to  whom  the  Saviour  declared,62  “behold  Satan 
hath  desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat; 
but  I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail  not:  and  thou 
being  once  converted,  confirm  thy  brethren.”  Their  com¬ 
mission  is  not  of  human  origin,  nor  by  men’s  authority, 
but  derived  from  heaven  by  virtue  of  the  institution  of 
Christ,  sustained  by  the  power  of  that  Holy  Ghost,  which 
descended  visibly  upon  the  first  prelates  of  the  church,  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,63  wherefore  St.  Paul  addresses  their 
associates,  in  the  following  words,64  “Take  heed  to  your¬ 
selves,  and  to  the  whole  flock,  wherein  the  Holy  Ghost  hath 
placed  you  bishops  to  rule  the  church  of  God,  which  he  hath 
purchased  with  his  own  blood.”  Thus  were  they  to  be 
“accounted  as  the  ministers  of  Christ;”65  testifying  his  doc¬ 
trines,  not  speaking  of  themselves,  but  as  He  who  sent  them 
gave  them  commandment,  what  they  should  say,  and  what 
they  should  speak,  whilst  according  to  his  own  promise, 
he  would  continue  with  them  all  days  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  so  that  his  church  should  be  what  the  apostle  de¬ 
scribes  it,66  “The  house  of  God,  the  church  of  the  living  God, 
the  pillar  and  the  ground  of  truth.”  To  this  fold  was  he  to 
bring  all  his  sheep,67  so  that  they  should  by  its  testimony, 
“Hear  his  voice  and  there  should  be  one  fold  and  one  shep¬ 
herd;”  as  was  foretold  by  many  of  the  prophets,  but  espe- 

60  i.  5.  6i  Rom.  x.  18.  62  Luke  xxii.  31, 

64  Acts  xx.  28.  65  1  Cor.  iv.  1.  66  1  Tim.  ill.  15. 


63  Acts  ii.  4. 
67  John  x.  16, 


104  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

daily  by  Ezechiel:68  “And  my  servant  David  shall  be  king 
over  them,  and  they  shall  have  one  shepherd:  they  shall 
walk  in  my  judgments  and  shall  keep  my  commandments. 

.  And  I  will  make  a  covenant  of  peace  with 
them,  it  shall  be  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them: 
and  I  will  establish  them  and  multiply  them,  and  will  set 
my  sanctuary  in  the  midst  of  them  forever,  and  my  taber¬ 
nacle  shall  be  with  them :  and  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they 
shall  be  my  people.”69  “And  I  will  set  up  one  shepherd 
over  them,  and  he  shall  feed  them,  even  my  servant  David, 
he  shall  feed  them,  and  he  shall  be  their  shepherd  and  I 
the  Lord  will  be  their  God,  and  my  servant  David  the  prince 
in  the  midst  of  them:  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it.” 

Thus  beloved  brethren,  do  we  receive  by  the  testimony 
of  this  “cloud  of  witnesses,”  an  indication  of  the  path  in 
which  we  should  follow  after  the  ark  of  our  safety,  “it  is 
a  holy  way,”70  “it  shall  be  unto  you  a  straight  way,  so  that 
fools  shall  not  err  therein,”  for  by  this  testimony  we  are 
assured  of  what  God  has  revealed;  his  word  is  to  us  the 
foundation  and  the  measure  of  our  faith,  as  it  is  the  code 
which  also  regulates  our  morality;  we  believe  what  he  de¬ 
clares,  we  should  also  obey  his  commands.  He  has  estab¬ 
lished  the  society  of  his  church  upon  the  principles  of  a 
well  ordered  community,  making  it  the  witness  of  his  rev¬ 
elation,  so  that  secured  in  “the  unity  of  faith”71  and  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  .  .  .  we  be  no  more  chil¬ 
dren  tossed  to  and  fro  and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of 
doctrine,  by  the  wickedness  of  men,  by  cunning  craftiness 
by  which  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive.”  Entreating  then, 
we  exhort  you  to  continue  steadily  attached  to  this  firm 
anchor  of  our  hope,  and  submit  your  necks  to  the  sweet  yoke 
of  Christ  by  regulating  your  conduct  unrestrictedly  by  the 
great  maxims  of  the  gospel,  as  your  code  of  morality. 

But,  beloved  brethren,  you  are  aware  that  it  is  by  the  in¬ 
stitutions  of  the  Saviour  you  must  be  made  partakers  of 
the  fruits  of  his  redemption.  Your  obedience  to  his  law 
must  be  perfect.  You  cannot  expect  salvation  upon  any 
other  terms  than  those  which  he  has  established.  You  must 

08  Ezech.  xxxviii.  24,  &c.  09  Ezech.  xxxiv.  23,  24. 

71  Ephes.  iv.  13,  14. 


to  Isajas  xxxv.  8, 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


105 


be  enriched  to  growth  and  beauty  in  the  heavenly  garden, 
not  by  your  natural  powers,  but  by  being  engrafted  upon 
Christ  and  drawing  the  sustenance  of  heavenly  aid,  in  his 
grace,  from  his  institutions.  Neither  by  your  own  natural 
power  are  you  able  without  the  influence  of  that  grace,  to 
believe  or  to  hope,  or  to  have  useful  sorrow  for  sin,  or  to 
love  or  to  serve  God  as  you  ought,  so  as  to  obtain  heaven.  You 
are,  as  the  apostle  St.  Paul  expresses  it,  “Cut  out  of  the 
wild  olive  tree,  which  is  natural  to  thee;  and,  contrary  to 
nature,  wert  grafted  into  the  good  olive  tree,” 72  so  that  draw¬ 
ing  from  Christ,  the  root  of  holiness,  you  may  be  purified 
from  sin  and  bloom  in  virtue  and  bring  forth  fruit  to  eternal 
life.  This  the  Saviour  himself  explains  to  us,  when  he  informs 
us  that  he  is  the  door  by  which  the  sheep  enter  into  the  fold;” 73 
and  more  at  length  when  he  says,  “I  am  the  true  vine ;  and  my 
father  is  the  husbandman.  Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth 
not  fruit  he  will  take  away:  and  every  one  that  beareth  fruit 
he  will  purge  it  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit.  .  .  .  Abide 
in  me,  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself 
unless  it  abide  in  the  vine,  so  neither  can  you  unless  you 
abide  in  me.  I  am  the  vine,  you  the  branches,  he  that 
abideth  in  me  and  I  in  him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit: 
for  without  me  you  can  do  nothing.  If  any  one  abide  not 
in  me,  he  shall  be  cast  forth  as  a  branch  and  shall  wither 
and  they  shall  gather  him  up,  and  cast  him  into  the  fire,  and 
he  burneth.”74 

Now  it  is  by  the  means  of  his  sacraments  that  he  has 
provided  in  the  ordinary  communication  of  this  grace  for 
the  various  modes  of  our  regeneration  and  sanctification. 
“Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  thee,  unless  a  man  be  born  again  of 
water  and  the  Holy  Ghost  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of 
God.”75  “Now  when  the  apostles  who  were  in  Jerusalem, 
had  heard  that  Samaria  had  received  the  word  of  God,  they 
sent  unto  them  Peter  and  John:  who,  when  they  were  come, 
prayed  for  them,  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy  Ghost. 
For  he  was  not  as  yet  come  upon  any  of  them:  but  they 
were  only  baptised  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Then 
they  laid  their  hands  upon  them  and  they  received  the  Holy 
Ghost.”76  In  the  gospel  of  St.  John  we  read,  “Then  Jesus 

72  Rom.  xi.  24.  73  John  x.  74  John  xv.  75  John  iii.  v.  76  Acts  14,  15,  16,  17. 


106  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

said  to  them:  Amen,  amen,  I  say  unto  you,  except  you  eat  of 
the  flesh  of  the  son  of  man,  and  drink  his  blood  you  shall 
not  have  life  in  you.”77  As  also  his  other  statement,  “When 
he  had  said  this  he  breathed  on  them  and  he  said  to  them :  Re¬ 
ceive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost,  whose  sins  ye  shall  forgive  they  are 
forgiven  to  them :  and  whose  sins  you  shall  retain  they  are  re¬ 
tained.”78  The  apostle  St.  James  also  exhibits  to  us  another 
source  of  grace  when  he  writes,  “Is  any  man  sick  amongst  you, 
let  him  bring  in  the  priests  of  the  church,  and  let  them  pray 
over  him  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  And 
the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick  man:  and  the  Lord 
will  raise  him  up,  and  if  he  be  in  sins  they  shall  be  forgiven 
him.”79  In  the  Acts  of  the  apostles  we  read,  “These  they  set 
before  the  apostles:  and  they  praying  imposed  hands  upon 
them.”80  One  of  the  effects  of  this  rite  is  expressed  in  an¬ 
other  place :  “Then  they  exhorting  and  praying,  and  impos¬ 
ing  their  hands  upon  them,  sent  them  away,  so  they  being 
sent  by  the  Holy  Ghost  went  to  Seleucia;”81  hut  more  clearly 
exhibited  by  St.  Paul,  “Neglect  not  that  grace  that  is  in  thee, 
which  was  given  thee  by  prophecy  with  imposition  of  the 
hands  of  the  priesthood;”82  and  again,  “For  which  cause  I 
admonish  thee  that  thou  stir  up  the  grace  of  God  which  is 
in  thee,  by  the  imposition  of  my  hands.”83  Concerning  mat¬ 
rimony  we  read  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew,  “What  there¬ 
fore  God  hath  joined  together,  let  no  man  put  asunder;”84 
and  St.  Paul  informs  us,  “For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave 
his  father  and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife,  and  they 
shall  be  two  in  one  flesh.  This  is  a  great  sacrament:  but  I 
speak  in  Christ  and  in  the  church.”85 

How  many  sources  of  grace  are  thus  opened  to  us  for 
the  several  circumstances  in  which  we  may  be  placed?  Again 
therefore,  beloved;  entreating,  we  exhort  you  not  to  despise 
the  mercy  of  our  God;  not  to  reject  the  bounties  of  Christ, 
not  to  neglect  the  means  of  salvation  thus  placed  within 
your  reach.  Not  only  for  your  own  sakes,  but  for  the  sake 
of  your  children,  of  your  families,  of  the  whole  church  of 
Christ  are  you,  especially  the  heads  of  those  families,  bound 

77  John  vi.  r»4.  78  John  xx.  22,  23.  79  James  v.  14,  15.  80  Acts  vi.  G. 

8i  Acts  xiii.  3.  82  1  Tim.  iv.  14.  83  2  Tim.  i.  6.  84  Matt.  xix.  6 

85  Ephes.  v.  31,  32. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


107 


to  have  recourse  to  such  of  those  divine  institutions  as  are 
befitting  your  circumstances. 

Your  example  is  powerful  for  good  or  for  evil.  You  de¬ 
sire  to  train  up  your  children  in  the  way  in  which  they 
should  walk;  of  what  value  will  your  advice  be  in  contra¬ 
diction  to  your  example?  “He  that  shall  scandalize  one  of 
these  little  ones  that  believe  in  me,  it  were  better  for  him 
that  a  mill  stone  should  be  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that 
he  should  be  drowned  in  the  depth  of  the  sea.  Wo  to  the 
world  because  of  scandals!  For  it  must  needs  be  that  scan¬ 
dals  come:  but  nevertheless,  wo  to  that  man  by  whom  the 
scandal  cometh.  And  if  thy  hand  or  thy  foot  scandalize  thee, 
cut  it  off  and  cast  it  from  thee.  It  is  better  for  thee  to  go 
into  life  maimed  or  lame,  than  having  two  hands  or  two 
feet,  to  be  cast  into  everlasting  fire.”86  And  in  another 
place,  we  find  a  corresponding  declaration  of  the  Saviour, 
“He  therefore,  that  shall  break  one  of  these  least  command¬ 
ments,  and  shall  so  teach  men,  shall  be  called  the  least  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  But  he  that  shall  do  and  teach, 
shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.”87  W e  would 
therefore  earnestly  and  solemnly  impress  upon  our  brethren, 
to  walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  in  which  they  are  called 
and  by  their  example,  to  draw  others  to  the  practice  of 
those  great  duties  which  on  earth  give  a  peace  of  which  chil¬ 
dren  of  the  world  have  scarcely  an  idea,  and  which  pro¬ 
cures  for  us  in  heaven  a  joy  and  a  glory,  the  like  of  which 
no  earthly  eye  has  seen,  no  description  of  which  has  pene¬ 
trated  mortal  ear,  nor  to  conceive  which  is  the  mind  of  man 
capable  in  its  present  state,  and  the  contemplation  of  which 
bore  the  rapt  apostle  into  such  ecstatic  enjoyment. 88 

These  things  we  have  written  to  you,  beloved  brethren, 
respecting  your  first  and  greatest  obligations,  but  there  are 
others  upon  which  we  find  it  proper  to  ex¬ 
press  to  you  our  views.  They  regard  your  Support  of 
exertions  to  provide  for  the  external  wants  the  Church, 
of  religion  and  to  establish  those  means  by 
which  instruction  will  be  more  generally  diffused,  the  min¬ 
istry  more  widely  extended,  the  spiritual  wants  of  great 
numbers  better  attended  to,  and  even  the  temporal  conso- 

86  Matt,  xviii.  6,  7,  8.  87  Matt.  v.  19.  88  2  Cor.  xii. 


108  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

lations  of  our  afflicted  fellow  creatures,  whether  members 
of  our  church  or  estranged  therefrom,  better  secured. 

We  should  first  call  your  attention  to  the  erection  and 
the  decoration  of  churches  and  their  proper  furniture. 
From  the  very  origin  of  Christianity  it  was  an  object  of 
great  interest  to  your  predecessors  in  the  faith:  it  is  essen¬ 
tial  for  the  decency  of  public  worship,  and  nothing  tends 
more  to  unite  and  to  preserve  in  the  bonds  of  affection,  as 
well  as  the  purity  of  faith,  the  Catholics  who  reside  in  any 
vicinage:  it  is  moreover  exceedingly  useful  for  the  purpose 
of  preserving  the  faith  of  the  children  and  affording  to  the 
well  disposed  enquirer  an  opportunity  of  learning  our  doc¬ 
trines  and  correcting  misapprehensions. 

But  in  the  creation  of  those  edifices  we  would  remark, 
that  it  has  frequently  occurred,  that  through  a  sad  mistake 

respecting  the  nature  of  our  church  gov- 

Trusteeism.  ernment,  and  the  influence  caused  by  the 

example  of  religious  societies,  whose  princi¬ 
ples  are  in  direct  contradiction  to  those  which  have  come 
down  to  us  from  the  days  of  the  apostles,  some  of  the  man¬ 
agers  have  usurped  powers  to  which  they  had  no  title,  which 
are  incompatible  with  our  discipline  and  in  some  instances 
even  with  our  faith.  And  when  we  were  constrained  in  the 
discharge  of  our  duty  to  oppose  their  pretensions,  they  com¬ 
plained  that  we  interfered  with  their  rights:  and  they  sought 
by  the  law  of  the  land,  in  contradiction  to  the  spirit  of  those 
constitutions  which  guarantee  our  religious  freedom,  to  sub¬ 
ject  our  ecclesiastical  administration  to  their  supervision, 
and  to  withhold  the  funds  created  for  the  support  of  re¬ 
ligion  from  their  destined  object,  unless  their  irregular  de¬ 
mands  were  acceded  to.  The  results  in  some  instances  have 
been  extremely  disgraceful  and  disastrous;  but  we  thank 
God,  that  at  present  the  spirit  of  which  we  complain  has 
nearly  disappeared.  We  think  it  right  however  to  apprise 
you,  that  viewing  before  God,  and  singly  with  an  eye  to  the 
welfare  of  religion,  this  case,  we  have  felt  it  to  be  our  duty 
at  all  hazards,  to  preserve  that  faith,  for  whose  defence  you 
and  we  are  bound  if  required  to  imitate  the  devotion  of 
the  glorious  martys;  and  also  to  prefer  officiating,  as  many 
of  our  predecessors  have  done,  in  the  open  air,  in  private 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


109 


houses,  or  in  humble  sheds,  for  those  who  are  faithful  to 
their  principles  and  attached  to  their  religion,  rather  than 
to  enter  the  most  gorgeous  temples  and  accept  of  the  most 
abundant  stipends  as  the  price  of  that  freedom  of  ecclesias¬ 
tical  administration  which  it  is  our  obligation  to  preserve, 
and  the  dimunition  of  which  would  be  most  injurious  to 
religion.  Nor  do  we  think  it  irrelevant  in  this  place  to  ob¬ 
serve,  that  it  has  almost  uniformly  occurred  that  the  per¬ 
sons  who  thus  affected  zeal  for  religion  and  attachment  to 
liberty,  by  perpetuating  those  usurpations,  were  notorious 
for  their  total  neglect  of  religious  practices  and  were  found 
most  ready  to  abuse  any  power  they  were  able  to  obtain. 
We  therefore  admonish  you  of  the  necessity  of  being  prop¬ 
erly  informed  of  the  due  mode  of  conforming  to  the  princi¬ 
ples  of  your  own  church  before  you  undertake  to  erect 
buildings  for  her  worship.  There  is  nothing  in  either  the 
spirit  of  the  constitutions  or  in  the  laws  of  our  republic 
which  is  incompatible  with  the  perfect  freedom  of  our 
ecclesiastical  institutions;  no  country  affords  better  means 
for  their  security  and  protection  by  legal  provisions;  but 
the  power  which  our  states  properly  allow  to  each  religious 
denomination  to  manage  its  own  ecclesiastical  concerns 
may  be  easily  abused,  as  it  has  been  in  many  instances,  by 
persons  who  were  members  of  bodies  to  whose  spirit  they 
were  opposed.  We  exhort  you  then,  in  acting  for  the  church, 
to  consult  with  the  recognized  authorities  of  that  church;  let 
there  be  a  full  and  perfect  accordance  between  you  and 
them,  this  will  produce  co-operation,  success,  charity,  af¬ 
fection  and  peace,  and  will  moreover  secure  to  you  the 
blessings  of  religion.  We  would  also  remark  upon  the 
necessity  of  providing  for  every  church  that  furniture  for 
the  altar  and  the  sacristy  which  will  give  to  the  divine  of¬ 
fices,  especially  to  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  that  ex¬ 
ternal  dignity  which  becomes  the  service  of  the  Most  High. 
When  God  vouchsafed  to  prescribe  special  decorations  for 
his  tabernacle,  in  the  desert,  the  people  of  Israel  were  in¬ 
vited  to  make  their  offerings,  and  their  zeal  and  devotion 
urged  their  generosity  to  such  a  point  that  “The  workmen 
being  constrained  to  come,  said  to  Moses:  the  people  of- 
fereth  more  than  is  necessary.  Moses  therefore  com- 


110  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

manded  proclamation  to  be  made  by  the  crier’s  voice:  Let 
neither  man  or  woman  offer  any  more  for  the  sanctuary.”89 
We  need  not  remind  you  of  the  special  benedictions  which 
the  Lord  continues  to  bestow  upon  those  who,  animated 
with  the  due  sentiments  of  religion,  contribute  with  cheer¬ 
ful  hearts  to  promote  the  great  work  of  his  service  upon 
this  earth. 

“Let  the  priests  that  rule  well,  be  esteemed  worthy  of 
double  honour,  especially  they  who  labor  in  word  and  doc¬ 
trine,”90  was  the  admonition  of  St.  Paul  to  his  disciple 
Timothy  who  at  that  period,  according  to  the  primitive 
usages,  had  the  entire  apportionment  and  distribution  of 
the  means  contributed  for  the  purposes  of  religion:  and  in 
his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  the  apostle  asks,  “Who 
serveth  as  a  soldier  at  any  time,  at  his  own  charges?  who 
planteth  a  vineyard  and  eateth  not  of  the  fruit  thereof? 
who  feedeth  a  flock,  and  eateth  not  of  the  milk  of  the  flock? 
speak  I  these  things  according  to  man?  or  doth  not  the  law 
also  say  these  things?  For  it  is  written  in  the  law  of  Moses, 
Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  mouth  of  the  ox  that  treadeth  out 
the  corn.  Doth  God  take  care  of  oxen?  or  doth  he  say  this 
indeed  for  our  sakes,  for  these  things  are  written  for  our 
sakes,  that  he  that  plougheth  should  plough  in  hope:  and 
he  that  thresheth  in  hope  to  receive  fruit.  If  we  have 
sown  to  you  spiritual  things,  is  it  a  great  matter  if  we  reap 
your  carnal  things.” 91  .  .  .  “Know  ye  not  that  they  who 
work  in  the  holy  place  eat  the  things  that  are  of  the  holy 
place;  and  they  that  serve  the  altar  partake  with  the  altar? 
So  also  the  Lord  ordained  that  they  who  preach  the  gospel 
should  live  by  the  gospel.”92 

We  have  placed  this  passage  under  your  view,  not  so 
much  for  the  purpose  of  insinuating  against  you  any  want 
of  disposition  to  perform  the  duty  which 
it  inculcates,  as  of  bringing  to  your  con-  Support  of 
sideration  a  subject  which  has  been  here-  the  Clergy, 
tof ore  overlooked.  We  are  ready  to  testify, 
that  in  many  instances  you  exert  yourselves  in  a  manner 
very  creditable  to  yourselves  and  beneficial  to  religion,  in 

89  Exod.  xxxvi.  4,  5,  6.  90  1  Tim.  v.  17.  91  1  Cor.  ix.  7,  8,  9,  10,  11. 

»2  1  Cor.  ix.  13,  14. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  AS3" 


111 


contributing  to  the  support  of  your  pastors;  and  we  also  are 
gratified  at  knowing  that,  as  a  body,  our  clergy  are  well 
deserving  of  what  they  thus  receive.  Indeed,  we  know  of 
no  other  portion  of  the  church  in  any  region  of  the  world, 
where  in  one  sense,  the  words  of  the  Apostle  “who  planteth 
a  vineyard  and  eateth  not  of  the  fruit  thereof,”  would  he 
so  properly  applicable  as  in  the  United  States.  For  besides 
that  almost  all  our  churches  have  been  built  chiefly  by  the 
laborious  exertions  of  the  clergyman;  their  whole  income 
is  produced  by  his  services;  and  if  he  ceases  to  officiate,  the 
revenue  would  be  small  indeed!  Nothing  can  then  be  more 
just  than  that  the  provision  for  the  clergy  should  be  the 
principal  object  of  its  application:  as  St.  Paul  declares  to 
Timothy,  “the  husbandman  that  laboureth  must  first  par¬ 
take  of  the  fruits.”93 

In  those  countries  where  parochial  or  other  benefices 
exist,  the  incumbent,  when  worn  out  by  labour  or  age,  or 
incapacitated  by  sickness  or  accident,  is  not  cast  aside;  he 
still  enjoys  his  right  to  the  place,  and  continues  in  possession 
of  the  income;  and  it  is  fit  that  it  should  be  so:  for  to  use 
the  expressions  of  the  Apostle,  who,  when  he  admonishes 
Timothy  to  “labour  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,”94 
tells  him  also,  that  “no  man  being  a  soldier  to  God  en- 
tangleth  him  with  secular  businesses,  that  he  may  please 
him  to  whom  he  hath  engaged  himself;”  the  clergy  are  pro¬ 
hibited  by  the  canons  of  the  church  from  being  engaged 
in  traffic,  that  they  may  be  wholly  occupied  in  their  minis¬ 
terial  duties.  The  emolument  which  they  receive  is  com¬ 
paratively  moderate,  sometimes  wretchedly  small;  they  are 
liable  to  applications  from  the  distressd,  and  to  demands 
for  the  purposes  of  religion,  sufficient  to  deprive  them  of 
the  power,  even  if  they  had  the  will,  of  laying  up  for  them¬ 
selves  a  provision  for  age  or  infirmity,  and  the  canonical 
regulations,  in  such  contingencies,  provide  for  their  support 
out  of  the  funds  of  the  benefice,  and  for  the  discharge  of 
the  duty  by  giving  an  assistant,  to  maintain  whom  both  the 
incumbent  and  they  who  are  served  contribute.  Our  cir¬ 
cumstances  render  the  creation  of  such  benefices  at  the 
present  moment  extremely  inexpedient,  even  if  the  canoni- 


93  2  Tim.  li.  6. 


94  2  Tim.  li.  3,  4. 


112  The  PAr0r*ALS  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

cal  grounds  for  their  creation  existed:  and  instances  have 
occurred  where  meritorious  priests,  after  a  faithful  dis¬ 
charge  of  duty,  have  been  neglected  and  left  in  great  desti¬ 
tution;  and  few  missions  are  known,  in  which  the  income  of 
a  clergyman  is  smaller  than  on  these  of  the  United  States. 
We  would  appeal  to  your  own  feelings  of  justice  to  say 
whether  this  was  as  it  ought  to  be.  Cases  may  however 
arise,  in  which  the  clergyman  would  be  in  need  of  aid 
which  he  deserves,  without  having  a  sufficient  claim  upon 
any  special  church  to  entitle  him  to  require  that  it  should 
support  him.  To  provide  for  cases  of  this  description,  and 
others  of  a  similar  character,  we  have  recommended,  that 
in  each  Diocess,  the  clergy  themselves  should  create  a  fund 
applicable  to  such  purposes,  under  the  superintendence  of 
the  Bishop;  and  we  should  hope  you  will  also  feel  that  this 
object  merits  your  aid. 

For  ourselves,  we  feel  that  we  have  always  received, 
as  we  have  endeavored  to  merit,  your  support:  but  we 
would  suggest  that  as  the  duties  of  the  bishop  regard  the 
welfare  of  the  whole  Diocess,  and  as  he  is  principally 
occupied  in  its  general  concerns,  it  would  be  fitting 
that  all  the  churches  and  congregations  should  aid  in  cre¬ 
ating  a  fund,  not  merely  sufficient  for  his  individual  sup¬ 
port;  but  also  adequate  to  afford  him  the  services  of  one 
or  more  clergymen,  according  to  the  extent  and  duties  and 
means  of  the  Diocess,  to  aid  him  in  efficiently  labouring 
to  the  advantage  of  the  entire  Diocess,  for  the  promotion 
of  religion  and  the  spiritual  welfare  of  his  whole  flock. 

To  provide  for  a  succession  of  the  clergy,  is  also  a  gen¬ 
eral  concern  of  the  churches  and  congregations,  which, 

however  well  they  may  be  served  at  the 
The  Need  moment,  cannot  insure  themselves  against 
of  Priests.  the  casualties  which  produce  a  vacancy: 

and  if  no  measures  be  taken  to  educate  and 
to  form,  by  proper  discipline,  a  body  of  clergy  to  supply  those 
vacancies  as  they  occur,  what  must  be  the  consequence? 
Many  of  our  most  flourishing  churches  have  had  to  undergo 
long  destitution,  to  struggle  through  great  difficulties,  to 
witness  many  scandals  and  to  suffer  heavy  losses,  because 
of  the  want  of  a  clergy  sufficiently  numerous  and  properly 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


113 


qualified  for  our  missions.  Many  catholics  who  came 
hither  from  other  nations,  as  well  as  several  of  our  own 
citizens  who  have  removed  to  the  interior,  were  condemned 
to  wander  in  spiritual  desolation,  until  becoming  estranged 
from  their  religion  they  were  indifferent  to  its  concerns  or 
its  practices;  and  they  and  thousands  of  their  children  have 
been  themselves  lost  to  the  church.  It  is  an  obligation  of 
pressing  importance,  therefore,  for  every  one  to  contribute 
according  to  his  means,  to  supply  this  deficiency.  The 
ecclesiastical  state,  especially  in  our  church,  is  not  a  pro¬ 
fession,  to  prepare  his  child  for  which  a  parent  will  make 
an  extraordinary  sacrifice,  in  the  expectation  that  the  fu¬ 
ture  income  will  justify  the  present  outlay;  and  the  educa¬ 
tion  necessary  for  a  priest  is  one  not  to  be  acquired  with¬ 
out  considerable  time,  and  no  small  expense.  The  body 
which  is  to  be  served  has  been  accustomed  to  undertake 
that  expense  in  many  parts  of  Europe,  by  the  creation  of 
Seminaries  sustained  by  the  public  funds  of  the  nation; 
and  when  these  could  not  be  obtained,  the  object  was  ef¬ 
fected  by  the  contributions  of  the  faithful  or  the  donations 
or  legacies  of  the  wealthy  or  pious.  In  these  United  States, 
our  fellow-citizens  of  various  religious  denominations,  have 
numerous,  large  and  well  endowed  theological  schools,  to 
which  their  yearly  contributions  are  very  considerable. 
Hitherto  you  have  done  little  or  nothing  to  aid  our  semi¬ 
naries.  Many  of  us  have  received  for  this  purpose,  mod¬ 
erate  aid  from  the  piety  of  our  fellow  catholics  in  France, 
in  Austria,  and  in  one  or  two  instances  from  Ireland.  The 
Holy  See  has  also  generously  admitted  some  of  our  youths 
into  the  Urban  College  of  the  Propaganda  at  Rome,  where 
they  gratuitously  receive  their  education  and  have  their 
wants  supplied.  We  strenuously  exhort  you  to  do  your 
duty,  by  contributing  to  raise  up  a  national  clergy;  exert 
ourselves  to  provide  that  your  own  sons  should  minister 
at  your  altars.  In  your  several  Diocesses  you  can  co-oper¬ 
ate,  each  of  you  with  his  proper  prelate,  for  this  most  im¬ 
portant  object. 

We  have  on  former  occasions  addressed  to  you  our  ad¬ 
vice  and  exhortation  respecting  the  use  and  the  abuse  of 
the  public  press,  as  respects  our  religion.  It  is  a  powerful 


114  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

engine  for  good  or  for  evil:  and  in  those  states  it  has  been, 
and  still  is,  extensively  used  against  us,  both  openly  and 

covertly.  We  do  not  dwell  upon  the  gross 
Catholic  untruths,  the  false  charges,  the  notorious 
Books.  perversions,  the  ribald  abuse  which  are 
continually  spread  before  the  eyes  of  mil¬ 
lions  of  our  fellow-citizens  against  you  and  us,  and  our  re¬ 
ligion,  by  what  is  called  the  periodical  religious  press:  we 
need  not  exhibit  to  you  the  pages  of  several  public  journals 
to  show  the  adverse  spirit  of  a  large  portion  of  political 
editors  to  truth  and  justice,  where  we  are  concerned.  Not 
only  are  the  public  libraries  and  the  literary  institutions 
formed  upon  the  same  principle,  and  tracts  and  pamphlets 
which  exhale  the  poison  of  virulent  misrepresentation  and 
obloquy,  widely  disseminated,  but  the  very  school-books  for 
even  the  youngest  learners  are  infected;  so  that  from  the 
most  tender  childhood  to  the  decrepitude  of  age,  the  great 
portion  of  the  reading  public  may  be  taught  to  detest  and 
to  despise  what  they  are  led  to  believe  is  our  religion. 

Within  a  few  years  however,  some  publishers  have  put 
forth  a  number  of  books  containing  a  correct  exposition  of 
our  doctrines  and  the  defence  of  our  tenets;  though  we  re¬ 
gret  that  in  some  instances,  either  acting  from  their  own 
views  or  having  consulted  with  persons  not  sufficiently 
qualified  to  advise  them,  they  have  occasionally  exhibited  a 
want  of  judgment  in  their  selection:  We  find  that  amongst 
you  the  spirit  of  encouraging  their  efforts  has  been  daily 
becoming  more  strong,  and  we  trust,  that  they  will  them¬ 
selves  feel  it  to  be  their  duty,  as  it  will  be  their  interest 
henceforward  to  consult  in  the  proper  manner,  with  the 
ordinary  ecclesiastical  superior,  before  they  undertake  such 
publications. 

We  feel  disposed  also  to  exhort  you  to  sustain  with 
better  efforts  those  journals,  which  though  not  officially 

sanctioned  by  us,  still  are  most  useful  to 

The  Catholic  explain  our  tenets,  to  defend  our  rights 
Press.  and  to  vindicate  our  conduct.  We  regret 
to  learn  that  in  several  instances  those 
conducted  under  the  eye  of  the  ordinary  ecclesiastical  au¬ 
thority  are  continued  only  at  a  pecuniary  sacrifice  to  their 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


115 


proprietors,  and  by  the  zealous  and  gratuitous  exertions 
of  their  editors.  We  would  impress  upon  you  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  exertion  on  your  parts,  to  have  them  better  sus¬ 
tained  and  their  circulation  extended  as  widely  as  possible. 

We  have  formed  ourselves  into  a  Society  for  the  pro¬ 
duction  and  dissemination  of  books  useful  to  the  cause  of 
truth  and  of  virtue,  leaving  to  each  prelate  its  adaptation 
to  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  his  own  Diocess,  but  com¬ 
mitting  for  the  present  the  administration  of  its  general 
affairs  chiefly  to  the  Archbishop,  who  as  soon  as  his  leisure 
will  permit,  will  proceed  to  execute  what  he  has  under¬ 
taken.  Our  object  is,  as  far  as  practicable,  to  apply  some 
remedy  to  those  evils  which  we  lament,  and  we  trust  that 
your  love  of  truth  and  your  zeal  for  virtue  will  lead  you 
to  co-operate  with  us,  to  the  best  of  your  power,  for  this 
most  necessary  purpose. 

We  would  also  beloved  brethren,  renew  the  entreaty 
which  we  have  made  to  you  on  other  occasions,  to  unite 
your  efforts  to  ours  for  upholding  those 
institutions  which  we  have  created  for  the 
education  of  your  children.  It  is  our  most 
earnest  wish  to  make  them  as  perfect  as 
possible,  in  their  fitness  for  the  communi¬ 
cation  and  improvement  of  science,  as  well  as  for  the 
cultivation  of  pure  solid  and  enlightened  piety.  And  if  we 
occasionally  experience  some  difficulty  and  do  not  advance 
as  rapidly  as  the  wishes  of  our  friends,  or  their  too  san¬ 
guine  hopes  would  look  for,  some  allowance  must  be  made 
for  the  difficulties  by  which  we  are  surrounded  and  the 
apposition  which  we  experience.  Yet,  these  notwithstand¬ 
ing,  we  are  persuaded,  that  amongst  those  under  our  super¬ 
intendence,  are  to  be  found,  some  of  the  most  scientific  and 
literary  houses  of  education  which  our  nation  possesses; 
some  establishments  for  the  instruction  of  youth,  male  and 
female,  in  which  there  are  successfully  taught  those  specula¬ 
tive  and  practical  lessons  which  inform  the  understanding, 
regulate  the  imagination,  cultivate  the  taste,  ameliorate 
the  heart,  improve  the  disposition,  impress  the  importance 
and  obligation  of  fulfilling  every  social,  civic,  domestic 
and  religious  duty,  and  teach  the  best  mode  of  their  per- 


Education  of 
the  Young. 


116 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


formance.  And  we  trust,  that  by  a  continuation  of  that 
patronage  which  they  have  received,  we  shall  be  enabled  to 
behold  them  take  deep  root  in  our  soul,  flourish  in  beauty 
and  vigour,  and  furnish  an  abundant  supply  of  useful  citi¬ 
zens  and  Christians,  fitted  for  conferring  blessings  upon 
that  country  which  protects  them  and  that  religion  which 
they  profess. 

We  would  especially  commend  to  your  fostering  care 
those  pious  and  meritorious  sisterhoods,  which  in  addition 

to  the  culture  of  the  youthful  mind,  gather 
The  up  the  little  orphan  whom  Heaven  has  de- 

Sisterhoods.  prived  of  its  mother’s  care,  who  attend  the 

couch  of  sickness  to  moisten  the  burning 
lip,  to  assuage  the  anguish  of  pain,  to  whisper  consolation 
to  the  raving  spirit  and  to  point  to  the  true  source  of  the 
sinner’s  hope,  when  in  the  dimness  of  his  eye  he  begins 
to  be  sensible  of  the  darkness  of  the  grave.  These  are  the 
women,  who  generously  devoting  themselves  to  the  whole 
cause  of  godlike  charity,  are  found  in  good  and  in  evil  re¬ 
port;  in  the  school,  in  the  hospital,  in  the  prison,  in  the 
hovel  of  poverty,  in  the  maniac’s  cell,  in  the  midst  of  pes¬ 
tilence,  surrounded  by  the  bodies  of  the  dying  and  the 
corpses  of  the  dead;  discharging  the  duties  of  their  holy 
zeal,  alike  to  the  professor  of  their  faith  and  to  its  oppo¬ 
nent,  and  tending  with  the  same  assiduity  the  wretched 
calumniator  of  their  creed,  their  virtue  and  their  sex,  as 
they  would  their  most  generous  defender. 

To  you,  our  venerable  co-operators  in  the  ministry, 
priests  of  Christ  Jesus,  we  say  in  particular.  “Continue  you 

in  those  things  which  you  have  learned  and 
Exhortation  which  have  been  committed  to  you :  know- 
to  the  Clergy,  ing  of  whom  you  have  learned.  And  because 

from  your  infancy,  you  have  known  the  holy 
scriptures,  which  can  instruct  you  to  salvation,  by  the  faith 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  All  scripture  inspired  by  God, 
is  profitable  to  teach,  to  reprove,  to  correct,  to  instruct  unto 
justice,  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  furnished  unto 
every  good  work.”95  “Flee  youthful  desires,  and  pursue 
justice,  faith,  charity  and  peace,  with  them  that  call  upon 

95  2  Tim.  ill.  14,  15,  16,  17. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


117 


the  Lord  out  of  a  pure  heart.  And  avoid  foolish  and  un¬ 
learned  questions,  knowing  that  they  beget  strifes.  But 
the  servant  of  the  Lord  must  not  wrangle,  but  be  mild  to¬ 
wards  all  men,  apt  to  teach,  patient,  with  modesty,  admon¬ 
ishing  them  that  resist  the  truth:  if  peradventure  God  may 
give  them  repentance  to  know  the  truth,  and  they  may  re¬ 
cover  themselves  from  the  snares  of  the  devil,  by  whom 
they  are  held  captive  at  his  will.”96  “Hold  the  form  of  sound 
words  which  you  have  heard  of  us  in  faith,  and  in  the  love 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  Keep  the  good  thing  committed  to 
your  trust  by  the  Holy  Ghost  that  dwelleth  in  us.”97  “But 
according  to  him  that  hath  called  you,  who  is  holy,  be  you 
also  in  all  manner  of  conversation  holy:  because  it  is  writ- 
ton,  you  shall  be  holy,  for  I  am  holy.”98  “Be  prudent  there¬ 
fore,  and  watch  in  prayers.  But  before  all  things  have  a 
constant,  mutual  charity  among  yourselves;  for  charity 
covereth  a  multitude  of  sins.  Using  hospitality  one  towards 
another  without  murmuring.  As  every  man  hath  received 
grace,  ministering  the  same  to  one  another :  as  good  stewards 
of  the  manifold  grace  of  God.”99  “And  you,  employing  all 
care,  minister  in  your  faith,  virtue:  and  in  virtue,  knowl¬ 
edge:  and  in  knowledge  abstinence:  and  in  abstinence,  pa¬ 
tience:  and  in  patience,  godliness:  and  in  godliness,  love  of 
brotherhood:  and  in  love  of  brotherhood,  charity.  For  if 
these  things  be  with  you  and  abound,  they  will  make  you  to 
be  neither  empty  nor  unfruitful  in  the  knowledge  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  For  he  that  hath  not  these  things  with 
him,  is  blind  and  groping,  having  forgotten  that  he  was 
purged  from  his  old  sins.  Wherefore,  brethren,  labour  the 
more,  that  by  good  works,  you  may  make  sure  your  calling 
and  election.  For  doing  these  things  you  will  not  sin  at  any 
time.”100  “Feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is  among  you,  tak¬ 
ing  care  of  it,  not  by  constraint,  but  willingly  according  to 
God:  not  for  filthy  lucre’s  sake,  but  voluntarily:  .  .  .  being 
made  a  pattern  of  the  flock  from  the  heart.  And  when  the 
prince  of  pastors  shall  appear  you  shall  receive  a  never-fad¬ 
ing  crown  of  glory.”101  “Be  you  an  es^ample  of  the  faithful  in 
word,  in  conversation,  in  charity,  in  faith,  in  chastity.  .  .  . 

06  2  Tim.  ii.  22,  23,  24,  25.  26.  07  2  Tim.  i.  13,  14.  98  1  Pet.  i.  15,  16. 

00  1  Pet.  iv.  7,  8,  9,  10.  ioo  2  Pet.  i.  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10.  101 1  Pet.  v.  2,  3,  4. 


118  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

Attend  unto  reading,  to  exhortation  and  to  doctrine.  Neg¬ 
lect  not  the  grace  that  is  in  you,  which  was  given  to  you  by 
prophecy,  with  the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  the  priest¬ 
hood.  Meditate  upon  these  things,  be  wholly  in  these  things; 
that  your  profiting  may  be  manifested  to  all.  Take  heed  to 
yourselves  and  to  doctrine:  be  earnest  in  them.  For  in  do¬ 
ing  this  you  shall  both  save  yourselves  and  them  that  hear 
you.”102  “We  charge  you  before  God  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  living  and  the  dead,  by  his 
coming  and  his  kingdom:  Preach  the  word:  be  instant  in 
season,  out  of  season:  reprove,  entreat,  rebuke  in  all  pa¬ 
tience  and  doctrine.  ...  Be  vigilant,  labour  in  all  things, 
do  the  work  of  evangelists,  fulfil  the  ministry,  be  sober.”103 
“Charge  the  rich  of  this  world  not  to  be  high-minded,  nor  to 
trust  in  the  uncertainty  of  riches,  but  in  the  living  God  (who 
giveth  us  abundantly  all  things  to  enjoy).  To  do  good,  to  be 
rich  in  good  works,  to  give  easily,  to  communicate  to  others, 
to  lay  up  in  store  for  themselves  a  good  foundation  against 
the  time  to  come,  that  they  may  lay  hold  on  the  true  life.”104 
“Whosoever  are  servants  under  the  yoke,  let  them  count 
their  masters  worthy  of  all  honour;  lest  the  name  of  the 
Lord  and  his  doctrine  be  blasphemed.  But  they  that  have 
believing  masters,  let  them  not  despise  them,  because  they 
are  brethren,  but  serve  them  the  rather,  because  they  are 
faithful  and  beloved,  who  are  partakers  of  the  benefit. 
These  things  teach  and  exhort.”105  “And  now  we  commend 
you  to  God  and  to  the  word  of  his  grace,  who  is  able  to  build 
up  and  to  give  an  inheritance  among  all  the  sanctified.”109 

Beloved  brethren  of  the  clergy  and  laity,  “God  is 
not  unjust  that  he  should  forget  your  work  and  the 
love  which  you  have  shewn  in  his  name,  you  who  have 

ministered  and  do  minister  to  the  saints; 

Conclusion.  and  we  desire  that  every  one  of  you  shew 

forth  the  same  carefulness  to  the  accom¬ 
plishing  of  hope  unto  the  end:  that  you  become  not 
slothful,  but  followers  of  them,  who  through  faith  and 
patience  shall  inherit  the  promises.” 107  “Wherefore  we 
pray  always  for  you:  that  our  God  would  make  you 

1021  Tim.  iv.  12,  13,  14,  15,  16.  ios  2  Tim.  iv.  1,  2,  5. 

104  1  Tim.  vi.  17,  18,  19.  105  l  Tim.  vi.  1,  2. 

loo  Acts  xx.  32.  ,  ‘  >  ;  107  Heb.  vi.  10,  11,  12. 

.*  4  — ■A’Sr.*  *» 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1837 


119 


worthy  of  his  vocation,  and  fulfil  all  good  pleasure  of  his 
goodness,  and  the  work  of  faith  and  power,  that  the  name 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  may  be  glorified  in  you  and  you  in  him,  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  grace  of  our  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.”108 — “But  we  ought  to  give  thanks  to  God  always 
for  you,  brethren,  beloved  of  God,  for  that  God  hath  chosen 
you  first  fruits  unto  salvation,  in  sanctification  of  the  spirit 
and  faith  of  the  truth:  whereunto  he  hath  called  you  by 
our  gospel  unto  the  purchasing  of  the  glory  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Therefore,  brethren,  stand  fast;  and  hold  to 
the  traditions  which  you  have  learned,  whether  by  word  or 
by  our  epistle.  Now  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself,  and 
God  and  our  Father  who  hath  loved  us,  and  had  given  us 
everlasting  consolation  and  good  hope  in  grace,  exhort  your 
hearts  and  confirm  you  in  every  good  work  and  word.”109 

“For  the  rest,  brethren,  pray  for  us,  that  the  word  of  God 
may  run  and  may  be  glorified,  even  as  among  you :  and  that 
we  may  be  delivered  from  importunate  and  evil  men:  for 
all  men  have  not  faith.  But  God  is  faithful,  who  will 
strengthen  and  keep  you  from  evil.  And  we  have  confidence 
concerning  you  in  the  Lord  that  the  things  which  we  com¬ 
mand,  you  both  do  and  will  do.  And  the  Lord  direct  your 
hearts  in  the  charity  of  God,  and  the  patience  of  Christ.”  110 

“The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  be  with  you  all. 
Amen.” 

Given  in  Council,  at  Baltimore,  this  22d  day  of  April,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord,  1837 . 

FSamuel,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

FJohn,  Bishop  of  Charleston. 

FJoseph,  Bishop  of  St.  Louis. 

FBenedict  Jos.,  Bishop  of  Boston. 

FFrancis  Patrick,  Bishop  of  Arath,  Coadjutor  of  Phila¬ 
delphia. 

FJohn  Baptist,  Bishop  of  Cincinnati. 

FGuy  Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Bolina,  Coadjutor  of  Bardstown. 

FSimon  Gabriel,  Bishop  of  Vincennes. 

FWilliam,  Bishop  of  Orio.,  Coad.  of  Charleston. 

FAnthony,  Bishop  of  New  Orleans. 

108  2  Thessal.  i.  11,  12.  109  2  Thessal.  ii.  12,  13,  14,  15,  16. 

no  2  Thessal.  iii.  1,  2,  3,  4,  5.  18. 


CHAPTER  VI 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 

WHEN  the  Fourth  Provincial  Council  was  assembled  at  Balti¬ 
more  on  May  16, 1840,  under  the  presidency  of  Archbishop 
Eccleston,  the  number  of  Sees  in  the  United  States  had  in¬ 
creased  to  fifteen;  the  dioceses  of  Dubuque,  Nashville,  and 
Natchez  having  been  erected  by  Pope  Gregory  XVI.  on  July  28, 
1837.  Among  the  prelates  who  attended  the  sessions  of  the 
Council  was  Monseigneur  Charles-Auguste,  Comte  de  Forbin- 
Janson,  Bishop  of  Nancy  and  Primate  of  Lorraine.  The  prin¬ 
cipal  decrees  enacted  by  the  Council  were  those  concerning  the 
ceremonies  for  mixed  marriages,  the  formation  of  temperance 
societies  in  all  parishes,  the  safe-guarding  the  faith  of  the 
children  who  attended  the  public  schools,  the  condemnation 
of  certain  secret  societies,  and  clerical  discipline.  The  Fathers 
of  the  Council  sent  a  letter  of  consolation  to  the  hierarchy  of 
Poland,  and  a  letter  of  thanksgiving  to  the  Leopoldine  Associa¬ 
tion  of  Vienna  for  its  generous  support  of  the  Catholic  Church 
in  this  country.  Open  persecution  of  the  Church  here  had 
abated  to  a  large  extent  in  1840,  but  the  Pastoral  Letter  records 
the  continuance  of  attacks  upon  the  faith  from  the  non-secta¬ 
rian  press  and  from  non-Catholic  pulpits. 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 

(Fourth  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore) 

Beloved  Brethren :  Peace  he  to  you ,  and  grace  from  God  the 
Father ,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ,  with  the  conso¬ 
lation  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

A  GAIN  has  it  been  granted  us  to  unite  for  the  purpose  of 
**  consulting  how  we  may  best  discharge  the  weighty 
obligations  of  our  Apostleship  in  your  regard.  We  have, 
after  having  besought  aid  through  your  prayers,  united  with 
our  own  supplications  to  the  Author  of  wisdom,  endeavored 
to  set  in  order  those  things  which  the  imperfections  of  our 
nature  cause  occasionally  to  become  confused.  We  have 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


121 


examined  by  what  means  within  our  power,  the  great  cause 
of  pure  and  undefiled  religion  may  be  promoted,  and  be¬ 
fore  departing  for  our  several  Diocesses,  we  desire  to  im¬ 
part  to  you  our  advice  and  exhortation. 

And  first,  permit  us  to  congratulate  you  on  the  progress 
that  has  been  made  by  the  aid  of  the  Most  High  in  our 
ecclesiastical  provinces.  You  behold,  since 
we  last  addressed  you,  the  two  new  Episco-  Progress  of 
pal  Institutions  of  Dubuque  and  Nashville  the  Faith, 
happily  erected,  and  usefully  filled;  the 
number  of  our  clergy  has  also  considerably  increased, 
though  not  yet  adequately  to  our  demands.  Our  seminaries 
are  enlarged:  aided  by  the  generosity  of  our  flocks  and  of 
our  benefactors,  they  are  becoming  daily  better  fitted  for 
the  education  of  our  candidates  for  the  priesthood.  The 
religious  houses,  especially  of  females,  have  been  multi¬ 
plied.  These  are  retreats  wherein  justly  many  indulge  their 
desire  of  frequent  attendance  upon  the  Lord,  in  which  the 
youthful  mind  is  trained  to  industry,  to  science  and  to  vir¬ 
tue — in  which  the  orphan  is  cherished,  protected,  and  fitted 
to  occupy  an  useful  and  an  honorable  place  in  society.  Since 
that  period  also  the  zeal  and  the  charity  of  many  congre¬ 
gations  have  been  manifested  in  the  erection  and  in  the 
embellishment  of  several  churches.  Piety  has  diffused  its 
influence  widely  through  our  flocks;  the  Sacraments  have 
been  more  generally  respected  and  received;  the  spirit  of 
cordial  attachment  between  the  pastors  and  their  congrega¬ 
tions  has  been  still  strengthened  by  their  mutual  confidence 
and  zealous  co-operation  for  the  advancement  of  religion, 
and  as  a  natural  consequence,  their  efforts  have  been 
crowned  with  much  success. 

Though  we  have  not  to  complain  of  such  acts  of  bar¬ 
barity  and  sacrilegious  destruction  as  it  afflicted  us  to  place 
on  record  in  our  last  address  to  you,  still 
we  have  to  lament  that  the  State  of  Mas¬ 
sachusetts,  which  has  neither  protected 
the  property  of  its  Catholic  citizens  nor 
vindicated  the  majesty  of  its  own  laws,  has  not  as  yet  mani¬ 
fested  any  disposition  to  retrieve  its  character  by  compen¬ 
sating  for  the  injury,  and  thus  doing  such  a  tardy  act  of 


Massachusetts. 


122  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

strict  justice.  What  a  contrast  is  to  be  found  between  the 
conduct  of  the  authorities  of  this  city  and  those  of  one  that 
claimed  a  place  of  pre-eminence  amongst  the  most  polished 
and  the  most  liberal  of  our  republics!  We  should  be  happy 
to  discover  in  its  deeds  of  compensation  some  evidence  of 
that  good  feeling  and  generous  spirit  which  would  restore  it 
to  the  position  that  it  formerly  held,  which  would  soothe 
the  affliction  of  the  sufferers,  and  would  blot  from  the 
minds  of  those  who  were  insulted  all  recollection  of  that 
foul  deed  which  stains  the  escutcheon  of  an  old  state;  of 
one  that  beholds  side  by  side,  the  cradle  of  our  liberties, 
the  first  field  of  honour  of  our  federation,  and  the  spot  which 
blackens  her  own  fame.  We  cannot  but  indulge  the  hope 
that  it  may  yet  be  given  to  us  to  moisten  with  the  tear  of 
joy  a  blur  whose  existence  we  deplore,  and  which  we  should 
rejoice  to  see  thus  washed  away. 

It  is  also  matter  of  consolation  to  us,  that  not  only  has 
there  been  no  augmentation  of  those  bad  efforts  which  were 

previously  made  by  religious  teachers  high 
Libels  on  in  the  estimation  of  some  of  our  fellow- 

the  Clergy.  citizens  of  other  denominations  to  sully 

the  reputation  of  our  church,  to  bring  sus¬ 
picion  upon  our  best  institutions,  and  to  insinuate  against 
our  clergy  crimes  the  most  inconsistent  with  their  obliga¬ 
tions  and  the  religion  to  which  we  adhere.  We  relied  upon 
the  good  sense,  the  calm  spirit  of  investigation,  the  intelli¬ 
gence  and  the  honour  of  our  fellow-citizens — nor  have  we 
been  disappointed.  The  miserable  libels  have  had  their  day; 
their  compilers  and  the  unfortunate  and  degraded  instru¬ 
ments  of  their  guilt,  if  not  already  fallen  to  their  proper 
level,  are  fast  sinking  in  the  estimation  of  those  whom  they 
sought  to  delude.  For  ourselves,  we  may  well  feel  satisfied 
with  that  judgment  which  is  rather  admitted  than  published 
even  by  those  who,  through  want  of  information,  would 
think  they  do  a  service  to  God  by  impeding  our  efforts. 

We  must,  however,  deplore  not  only  the  guilt  of  the  fab¬ 
ricators,  but  amongst  the  consequences  of  their  misconduct, 
one  to  which  it  is  now  impossible  to  apply  a  remedy;  the 
contamination  of  the  minds  of  the  delicate  and  the  young, 
in  those  numerous  families  into  which  either  an  unchecked 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


123 


spirit  of  bad  curiosity  or  miscalculating  and  reckless  hatred 
to  our  religion,  had  introduced  the  polluting  romances:  an¬ 
other  is,  that  from  the  mass  of  these  inventions  which  have 
been  so  extensively  scattered  abroad,  several  copies  must 
descend  to  future  generations:  it  will  then  probably  hap¬ 
pen,  as  it  has  happened  in  our  own  day,  that  either  folly  or 
malice  will  reproduce  as  the  record  of  facts  whose  truth  is 
incontrovertible,  that  slander  which  is  now  despised.  The 
bulk  of  the  obloquy  with  which  we  are  assailed,  as  the 
history  of  earlier  times  or  of  distant  occurrences,  has  no 
better  foundation  than  these.  Our  church  has  always  had 
libelling  opponents. 

It  is  true  that  still  the  pulpit  and  the  press  are  indus¬ 
triously  used  for  our  defamation,  but  it  does  not  appear 
to  us  that  at  the  present  moment,  they  are 
conducted  with  the  same  violence  nor  upon  The  Enemies 
the  same  system  of  preconcerted  action  for  of  the  Church, 
our  destruction.  Would  to  God,  that  our 
brethren,  in  place  of  directing  the  powers  of  their  mind, 
their  energy  and  their  resources  in  hostility  to  us,  would 
seek  to  learn  what  God  has  revealed  to  us  by  the  Patriarchs 
and  Prophets,  and  last  of  all,  by  his  beloved  Son,  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  “in  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his 
blood,  the  remission  of  sins!”1  Would  to  God  that  we  could 
behold  them  united  with  us  “adoring  the  Father  in  spirit 
and  in  truth!”2  Then  would  we  “all  speak  the  same  thing, 
and  there  be  no  schisms  amongst  us:  and  we  be  perfect  in 
the  same  mind  and  in  the  same  judgment.”3  Beloved 
brethren,  we  entreat  you  to  pray  without  ceasing  for  the 
copious  effusion  of  this  grace,  “till  we  all  meet  in  unity  of 
faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  per¬ 
fect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  age  of  the  fulness  of 
Christ:  that  we  may  not  now  be  children,  tossed  to  and  fro, 
and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,  in  the 
wickedness  of  men,  in  craftiness  by  which  they  lie  in  wait 
to  deceive:  but  performing  the  truth  in  charity,  we  may  in 
all  things  grow  up  in  him  who  is  the  head,  Christ.”4  “Being 
of  one  mind  one  to  another:  not  high-minded  but  conde¬ 
scending  to  the  humble.  Be  not  wise  in  your  own  conceits : 

l  Col.  1.  14.  2  John  iv.  23.  3  1  Cor.  1.  10.  4  Eph.  lv.  13,  14,  15. 


124  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

Fender  to  no  man  evil  for  evil;  provide  things  good  not  only 
in  the  sight  of  God,  but  also  in  the  sight  of  all  men.  Re¬ 
venge  not  yourselves,  dearly  beloved,;  but  give  place  to 
wrath;  for  it  is  written:  Revenge  is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith 
the  Lord.  Rut  if  thy  enemy  be  hungry,  give  him  to  eat:  if 
he  thirst,  give  him  to  drink:  for  doing  this,  thou  shalt  heap 
coals  of  fire  on  his  head.  Be  not  overcome  by  evil,  but  over¬ 
come  evil  by  good.”5  We  are  aware,  beloved  brethren,  that 
continued  misrepresentation,  the  repetition  of  refuted  cal¬ 
umnies,  unkind  efforts  to  create  hostile  feelings  against  us 
in  the  public  mind,  and  bitter  vituperation  with  expressions 
of  censure  and  contempt,  are  calculated  to  excite  our  pas¬ 
sions  and  to  urge  us  to  the  indulgence  of  a  kindred  spirit; 
but  we  intreat  you,  once  again,  to  give  heed  to  the  admoni¬ 
tion  of  the  apostle  and  of  the  sublime  motive  by  which  he 
enforces  it: — “Let  no  evil  speech  proceed  from  your  mouth, 
but  that  which  is  good  to  the  edification  of  faith:  that  it 
may  afford  grace  to  the  hearers.  And  grieve  not  the  holy 
spirit  of  God,  whereby  you  are  sealed  unto  the  day  of  re¬ 
demption.  Let  all  bitterness  and  anger,  and  indignation 
and  clamour,  and  blasphemy  be  taken  away  from  you,  with 
all  malice;  and  be  kind  to  one  another,  merciful,  forgiving 
one  another,  even  as  God  hath  forgiven  you  in  Christ.”6 
“Love  your  enemies,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you:  and 
pray  for  them  that  persecute  and  calumniate  you.”  7 

There  are  few  subjects  dearer  to  us  than  the  proper  edu¬ 
cation  of  your  children,  on  this  mainly  depends  their  true 

respectability  in  this  world,  also  the  conso- 
Catholic  lation  of  your  own  declining  years,  the 
Education.  prosperity  of  religion,  the  honor  of  God  on 

earth,  and  your  eternal  salvation  and  that 
of  your  descendants.  It  is  therefore  that  we  have  always 
deemed  it  to  be  one  of  our  most  pressing  obligations  to  use 
our  best  and  earliest  efforts  in  providing  establishments 
where  they  may  be  carefully  educated  by  competent  per¬ 
sons  in  all  that  is  necessary  for  their  prosperity  in  this  life, 
whilst  they  were  taught  by  admonition  and  example  to 
walk  in  that  path  which  leads  to  heaven.  In  general  we  have 
found  our  flocks  disposed  to  profit  by  the  opportunities  thus 

5  Rom.  xii.  16,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21. 


e  Eph.  iv.  29,  30,  31,  32. 


7  Matt.  v.  44. 


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125 


afforded,  but  not  always  so  ready  to  aid  in  defraying  the 
expenses  which  should  necessarily  be  incurred  in  having 
them  secured  and  made  permanent.  In  many  instances  also, 
they  who  belong  not  to  the  household  of  faith  have  discovered 
the  advantages  which  accompanied  the  system  of  education 
in  our  schools  and  colleges;  they  have  often  been  more  in¬ 
dustrious  to  profit  by  them  than  have  you,  for  whom  they 
were  principally  intended.  We  would  then  admonish  you, 
in  a  spirit  of  affectionate  interest  for  your  own  and  your 
children’s  welfare,  that  we  have  in  many  instances  observed 
two  serious  mistakes  upon  this  head.  The  first  that  of 
parents,  who  altogether  deprived  their  offspring  of  that  edu¬ 
cation  to  which  they  were  entitled,  upon  the  plea  that  there¬ 
by  they  would  be  better  served  by  placing  in  their  hands  at 
their  entrance  upon  a  life  of  industry,  the  money  which  had 
been  saved  by  the  restriction  of  their  education.  The  sec¬ 
ond  that  of  a  mistaken  and  thriftless  economy,  which  led 
them  to  keep  their  children,  especially  females,  at  an  in¬ 
ferior  school  of  less  cost,  until  they  had  nearly  gone  through 
those  years  allotted  to  education,  and  then  sent  them  for  a 
comparatively  short  time  to  an  establishment  in  which  they 
should  have  been  placed  years  before. 

The  great  evil  in  both  cases  is  the  danger  to  which  they 
are  exposed,  of  having  their  faith  undermined,  the  imper¬ 
fect  instruction  which  they  receive,  if  they  get  any,  upon 
the  most  important  subject  of  religion,  the  nearly  total 
abandonment  of  their  religious  practices  and  their  exposure 
in  their  tender  youth  to  the  fatal  influence  of  that  false 
shame  which  generally  arises  from  the  mockery  or  the  su¬ 
perciliousness  of  those  who  undervalue  their  creed.  Be¬ 
loved  brethren  we  address  you  not  in  the  language  of  specu¬ 
lation  or  of  abstract  reasoning;  our  words  are  the  faint  ef¬ 
fort  to  convey  to  you  the  deep  impression  which  long  and 
melancholy  experience  has  made  upon  our  minds;  for  we 
have  witnessed  the  blastings  of  our  hopes  in  the  ravages 
which  have  thus  been  made. 

Intimately  connected  with  the  topic  of  education  is  one 
upon  which  there  exists  much  misconception  in  the  minds 
of  our  separated  brethren;  and  we  have  sometimes  observed 
even  amongst  our  own  flocks  not  a  little  confusion  of  ideas 


126 


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upon  the  subject:  we  therefore  desire  to  place  it  distinctly 
before  you.  The  Saviour  of  the  world  commissioned  his 

apostles  to  teach  “all  nations”  of  the  earth, 
Holy  during  “all  days,  even  to  the  consumma- 
Scripture.  tion  of  the  world,”  promising  that  he  would 
be  “always  with  them;”8  and  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  “would  teach  them  all  things  and  bring  to  their 
minds  all  that  (the  Saviour)  taught.”9  This  promise  was 
fulfilled  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,10  and  they  were  thereby 
constituted  a  tribunal  competent  and  commissioned  to  tes¬ 
tify  the  revelation  of  God  to  the  whole  human  race,  to  the 
consummation  of  the  world.11  This  tribunal  was  extended 
and  perpetuated  in  consequence  of  the  authorised  associa¬ 
tion  to  their  body  by  the  Apostles,  of  others  whom  they 
found  duly  qualified,12  whom  they  fitted  by  ordination  to 

s  Matt,  xxvii.  19,  20.  9  John  xiv.  26.  io  Acts  ii.  4. 

11  18.  And  I  say  to  thee:  Thou  art  Peter,  (Rock)  and  upon  this  rock  I  will 
build  my  church;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  19.  And  to 
thee  will  I  give  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt 
bind  upon  earth,  it  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt 
loose  upon  earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven. — Matthew  xvi. 

19.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations;  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  20.  Teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things  whatsoever  I  commanded  you;  and  behold,  I  am  with  you  all  days, 
even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world. — Matthew  xxviii. 

15.  And  he  said  to  them:  Go  ye  into  the  whole  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature. — Mark  xvi. 

46.  And  he  said  to  them:  Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behoved  Christ  to 
sutler,  and  to  rise  again  the  third  day:  47.  And  that  penance  and  remission  of 
sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem, 
48.  And  you  are  witnesses  of  these  things.  49.  And  I  send  the  promise  of  my 
Father  upon  you:  but  stay  you  in  the  city  till  you  be  endued  with  power  from 
on  high. — Luke  xxiv. 

16.  And  I  will  ask  the  Father  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Paraclete,  that 

he  may  abide  with  you  forever:  17.  The  Spirit  of  truth  whom  the  world  cannot 
receive;  because  it  seeth  him  not,  nor  knoweth  him:  but  you  shall  know  him, 
because  he  shall  abide  with  you  and  be  in  you.  .  .  .  26.  But  the  Paraclete, 

the  Holy  Ghost  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  will  teach  you  all 
things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  mind,  whatsoever  I  shall  have  said  to  you. — 
John  xiv. 

13.  But  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth  shall  come,  he  will  teach  you  all  truth. — 
John  xvi. 

8.  But  you  shall  receive  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon  you,  and 
you  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  Samaria, 
and  even  to  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth. — Acts  i. 

12  21.  Wherefore  of  these  men  who  have  been  with  us  all  the  time  that  the 

Lord  Jesus  came  in  and  went  out  among  us,  22.  Beginning  from  the  baptism  of 
John  until  the  day  when  he  was  taken  up  from  us,  one  of  these  must  be  made 
a  witness  with  us  of  his  resurrection.  ...  25.  To  take  the  place  of  this  min¬ 

istry  and  apostleship,  from  which  Judas  hath  by  transgression  fallen.  26.  And 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


127 


perform  the  duty,18  and  to  whom  they  gave  the  necessary 
commission  by  sending  them  into  the  field  when  thus  pre¬ 
pared  and  commissioned.14  It  is  manifest  that  the  Church 
thus  constituted,  formed  one  visible  body  under  one  visible 
head,15  and  that  it  had  the  full  authority  of  requiring 

they  gave  them  lots,  and  the  lot  fell  upon  Matthias,  and  he  was  numbered 
with  the  eleven  apostles.— Acts  i. 

2.  And  the  things  which  thou  hast  heard  from  me  before  many  witnesses, 
the  same  commend  to  faithful  men  who  shall  be  fit  to  teach  others  also. — 2 
Timothy  ii. 

5.  For  this  cause  I  left  thee  in  Crete,  that  thou  shouldst  set  in  order  the  things 
that  are  wanting,  and  shouldest  ordain  priests  in  every  city,  as  I  appointed  thee. — 
Titus  i. 

13  6.  These  they  placed  in  the  presence  of  the  apostles :  and  they  praying, 
imposed  hands  upon  them. — Acts  vi. 

2.  And  as  they  were  ministering  to  the  Lord  and  fasting,  the  Holy  Ghost  said 
to  them:  Separate  me  Saul  and  Barnabas  for  the  work  to  which  I  have  taken 
them.  3.  Then  they  fasting  and  praying,  and  imposing  hands  upon  them,  sent 
them  away.  4.  So  they  being  sent  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  went  to  Seleucia,  &c. — 
Acts  xiii. 

22.  And  when  they  had  ordained  for  them  priests  in  every  church,  and  had 
prayed  with  fasting,  they  commended  them  to  the  Lord,  in  whom  they  believed.- — 
Acts  xiv. 

14.  Neglect  not  the  grace  which  is  in  thee,  which  was  given  thee  by  prophecy 

(prayer)  and  the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  the  priesthood. — 1  Timothy  iv. 

6.  For  which  cause  I  admonish  thee  that  thou  stir  up  the  grace  of  God  which 

is  in  thee,  by  the  imposition  of  my  hands. — 2  Timothy  i. 

14  1.  And  after  these  things  the  Lord  appointed  also  other  seventy-two,  and 

he  sent  them  two  and  two  before  his  face,  into  every  city  and  place  whither  he 
himself  was  to  come. — Luke  x. 

21.  And  he  said  to  them  again:  Peace  be  to  you,  as  the  Father  hath  sent  me, 
1  also  send  you.  22.  When  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed  on  them:  and  he  said 
to  them:  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost,  23.  Whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are 
forgiven  them:  and  whose  you  shall  retain,  they  are  retained. — John  xx. 

See  note  13,  Acts  xiii.  2,  3,  4. 

14.  How  shall  they  call  on  him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed?  Or  how 

shall  they  believe  him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard?  And  how  shall  they  hear 
without  a  preacher?  15.  And  how  can  they  preach  unless  they  be  sent?  .  .  .17. 

Faith,  then  cometh  by  hearing:  and  hearing  by  the  word  of  Christ. — Romans  x. 

15  See  note  11.  Matthew  xvi.  18,  19. 

31.  And  the  Lord  said:  Simon,  Simon,  behold  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you, 
that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat:  32.  But  I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith 
fail  not:  and  thou  being  once  converted,  confirm  thy  brethren. — Luke  xxii. 

16.  And  other  sheep  I  have  that  are  not  of  this  fold:  them  also  I  must  bring: 
and  they  shall  hear  my  voice:  and  these  shall  be  made  one  fold  and  one  shep¬ 
herd. — John  x. 

11.  Holy  Father  keep  them  in  thy  name  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  that  they 

may  be  one  as  we  also . 17.  Sanctify  them  in  truth.  18.  As  thou 

has  sent  me  into  this  world,  I  also  have  sent  them  into  the  world.  19.  And  for 
them  also  do  I  sanctify  myself ;  that  they  also  may  be  sanctified  in  truth.  20. 
And  not  for  them  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  those  who  through  their  word,  shall 

believe  in  me,  21.  That  they  all  may  be  one,  as  thou  Father  in  me,  and  I  In  thee, 

that  they  may  be  one  as  we  also  are  one. — John  xvii. 

15.  When,  therefore,  they  had  dined,  Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter:  Simon,  son 
of  John,  lovest  thou  me  more  than  these?  He  saith  to  him:  Yea,  Lord,  thou  know- 
est  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  to  him:  Feed  my  lambs.  16.  He  saith  to  him  again: 


128 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


from  each  of  its  members  or  portions,  not  forming  an  evi¬ 
dent  majority  of  the  whole  body,  that  respect  and  obedience 
which  the  principle  of  unity  required,  and  which  the  Sav¬ 
iour  commanded.16  It  is  plain,  that  as  the  commission 

Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me?  He  saith  to  him.  Yea,  Lord,  thou  knowest 
that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  to  him:  Feed  my  lambs.  17.  He  saith  to  him  the  third 
time:  Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me?  Peter  was  grieved,  because  he  said 
to  him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me?  And  he  said  to  him:  Lord  thou  know¬ 
est  all  things:  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  said  to  him:  Feed  my  sheep. — 
John  xxi. 

For  as  one  body  we  have  many  members,  but  all  the  members  have  not  the 
same  office;  5.  So  we,  being  many,  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  each  one  mem¬ 
bers,  one  of  another. — Romans  xii. 

17.  For  we  being  many  are  one  bread,  one  body,  all  who  partake  of  one  bread. 
— 1  Corinthians  x. 

12.  For  as  the  body  is  one,  and  hath  many  members,  and  all  the  members  of 
the  body,  whereas  they  are  many,  are  yet  one  body;  so  also  is  Christ.  13.  For 
In  one  spirit  were  we  all  baptized  into  one  body,  whether  Jews  or  Gentiles, 
whether  bond  or  free:  ....  20.  But  now  there  are  many  members  indeed, 

yet  one  body . 25.  That  there  might  be  no  schism  in  the  body,  but 

the  members  might  be  mutually  careful  one  for  another.  26.  And  if  one  mem¬ 
ber  suffer  anything,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it:  or  if  one  member  glory,  all 
the  members  rejoice  with  it.  27.  Now  you  are  the  body  of  Christ  and  members 
of  member. — Ibid.  xii. 

26.  For  you  are  all  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  27.  For  as  many 
of  you  as  have  been  baptized  have  put  on  Christ.  28.  There  is  neither  Jew  nor 
Greek,  there  is  neither  bond  nor  free;  there  is  neither  male  nor  female.  For  you 
are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus. — Galatians  iii. 

19.  Now,  therefore,  you  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreigners,  but  you  are  fel¬ 
low-citizens  with  the  saints,  and  the  domestics  of  God,  20.  Built  upon  the  founda¬ 
tion  of  the  apostles  and  prophets.  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  chief  corner 
stone:  21.  In  whom  all  the  building  framed  together,  groweth  into  a  holy  temple 
In  the  Lord:  22.  In  whom  you  also  are  built  together  into  a  habitation  of  God 
in  the  Spirit. — Ephesians  ii. 

3.  Careful  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  In  the  bond  of  peace.  4.  One  body 
and  one  Spirit,  as  you  are  called  in  one  hope  of  your  vocation.  5.  One  Lord,  one 
faith,  one  baptism,  6.  One  God  and  father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through 
all  and  in  us  all.  ...  12.  Unto  the  edification  of  the  body  of  Christ.  13. 

Till  we  all  meet  in  the  unity  of  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God, 
unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  age  of  the  fulness  of  Christ.  14. 
That  we  may  not  now  be  children,  tossed  to  and  fro  and  carried  about  by  every 
wind  of  doctrine,  in  the  wickedness  of  men,  in  craftiness,  by  which  they  lie  in  wait 
to  deceive.  15.  But  performing  the  truth  in  charity,  we  may  in  all  things  grow  up 
in  him  who  is  the  head,  Christ. — Ibid.  iv. 

27.  Only  let  your  conversation  be  worthy  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ:  that  whether 
I  come  and  see  you,  or  be  absent,  I  may  hear  of  you,  that  you  stand  fast  in  one 
spirit,  with  one  mind,  laboring  together  for  the  faith  of  the  Gospel. — Philippians  i. 

15.  And  let  the  peace  of  Christ  rejoice  in  your  hearts,  wherein  also,  you  are 
called  in  one  body:  and  be  ye  thankful. — Colossians  iii. 

16  17.  And  if  he  will  not  hear  them,  tell  the  church;  and  If  he  will  not  hear 
the  church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen  and  the  publican. — Matthew  xviii. 

16.  He  that  heareth  you,  heareth  me:  and  he  that  despiseth  you,  despiseth  me, 
and  he  that  despiseth  me,  despiseth  him  that  sent  me. — Luke  x. 

21.  And  he  said  to  them  again:  Peace  be  to  you,  as  the  Father  hath  sent  me, 
1  also  send  you. — John  xx. 

11.  And  some  indeed  he  gave  to  be  apostles,  and  some  prophets,  and  others 
evangelists,  and  others  pastors  and  teachers,  12.  For  the  perfection  of  the  saints, 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840  129 

was  lodged  with  the  whole  body  united  to  its  head,  no  min¬ 
ority,  however,  respectable,  especially  when  opposed  to  the 
majority  and  separated  from  the  head,  could  lawfully  claim 
to  act  under  that  commission;  nor  could  any  individual  or 
voluntary  association  reasonably  arrogate  to  itself  the 
power  of  performing  the  functions  of  that  commissioned 
tribunal,  or  denounce  it  as  apostate.  Such  a  position  might 
seem  plausible  if  they  who  take  it  could  produce  unques¬ 
tionable  evidence,  that  the  word  of  Christ  had  been  vainly 
given  for  the  authority  and  the  perpetuity  of  the  general 
body,  and  that  its  commission  had  been  superseded.  Even 
this  would  not,  however,  suffice  to  place  themselves  in  au¬ 
thority,  because  it  would  be  still  farther  necessary  to  pro¬ 
duce  with  unquestionable  evidence,  a  new  commission; 
for  upon  every  principle  of  common  sense  as  well  as  of 
religion,  the  Apostle  testifies.  “Neither  doth  any  man  take 
the  honor  to  himself,  but  he  that  is  called  by  God  as  Aaron 
was.”17  In  a  case  of  this  description  conjectures,  surmises, 
probabilities,  analogies  or  opinions  do  not  form  evidence. 
The  destruction  of  one  commission,  and  the  substitution  of 
another  in  so  important  a  crisis,  should  have  the  same  char¬ 
acter  as  that  which  Jesus  Christ  furnished  in  his  own  per¬ 
son,  when  superseding  the  commission  of  the  Sanhedrim, 
as  the  prophesies  shewed  must  be  the  case,  he  substituted 
that  of  the  Christian  Church.  “If  I  had  not  done  among 
them  the  works  that  no  other  man  hath  done,  they  would 
not  have  sin:  but  now  they  have  both  seen  and  hated  both 
me  and  my  Father.” 18 

Nothing  is  more  plain  to  the  ordinary  observer,  than 
that  from  the  days  of  the  Saviour  to  the  present,  no  such 
evidence  has  been  adduced.  And  indeed  its  non-existence 
is  so  manifest,  that  although  innumerable  separatists  have 

for  the  work  of  the  ministry  unto  the  edification  of  the  body  of  Christ. — Ephesians 
iv. 

7.  Remember  your  prelates  who  have  spoken  to  you  the  word  of  God,  con¬ 
sidering  well  the  end  of  their  conversation,  imitate  their  faith.  17.  Obey  your 
prelates  and  be  subject  to  them,  for  they  watch,  as  being  to  render  an  account 
of  your  souls,  that  they  may  do  this  with  joy  and  not  with  grief,  for  this  is  not 
expedient  for  you. — Hebrews  xiii. 

6.  We  are  of  God.  He  that  knoweth  God,  heareth  us.  He  that  is  not  of  God, 
heareth  us  not:  by  this  we  know  the  spirit  of  truth  and  the  spirit  of  error. — 
John  iv. 


17  Heb.  v.  4. 


18  John  xv.  24. 


130  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

gone  out  from  the  great  body  which  adhered  to  the  regu¬ 
larly  commissioned  and  regularly  perpetuated  tribunal,  not 
one  of  them  pretends  to  adduce  even  its  semblance,  but 
each  seeks  to  justify  its  own  secession  by  alleging  its  own 
opinion,  that  the  original  tribunal  has  erred,  yet  they  do 
not  agree  in  specifying  the  alleged  error,  nor  does  any  one 
of  them  pretend  to  an  exemption  from  liability  to  error 
itself :  and  thus  they  concur  in  sustaining  the  principle,  that 
no  one  can  be  certain  of  knowing  at  this  day,  with  precision 
and  accuracy,  the  doctrine  of  Christ  upon  every  particular 
subject  of  revealed  religion;  though  they  say  that  we  may 
have  a  general  knowledge  of  what  he  taught.  Thus  you  will 
observe,  upon  their  principle,  that  since  each  individual 
and  each  congregation  and  aggregation,  and  even  the  whole 
Church  may  err  upon  each  separate  subject,  it  inevitably 
follows  that  no  person  or  Church  can  say  with  certainty, 
that  upon  any  given  point  there  is  not  error,  and  therefore 
it  is  clearly  impossible  in  their  supposition,  to  point  out  at 
present  any  one  doctrine  of  the  Saviour  with  absolute  cer¬ 
tainty.  This  necessarily  involves  the  destruction  of  revealed 
religion;  for  no  one  is  bound  to  believe  as  the  word  of  God 
any  statement  of  man,  without  evidence  that  it  has  been  re¬ 
vealed  by  God;  which  evidence  can  never  be  given  upon  the 
grounds  which  they  furnish. 

Now  rejecting  this  supposition  and  its  consequences, 
we  look  upon  it  as  evident  that  when  Jesus  Christ,  by  his 
works,  established  his  own  authority,  he  next  established 
the  tribunal  of  the  Church  as  a  credible  witness  of  his  teach¬ 
ing,  not  only  for  all  nations  but  for  all  ages;  we  also  behold 
the  notorious  fact  of  its  continuance;  we  therefore  possess 
this  day  the  authorised  witness  given  to  us  by  the  Saviour. 
This  witness  which  St.  Paul  describes  as  “the  Church  of  the 
living  God,  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth,”10  gives  to  us, 
amongst  other  teachings  of  God,  the  sacred  volume  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  the  value  of  which  we  can  learn  only  by 
her  testimony.  But  as  St.  Peter  tells  of  this  valuable  record 
“Holy  men  of  God  spake  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,”20 
and  he  immediately  adds,  “But  there  were  also  false  pro¬ 
phets  among  the  people,  even  as  there  shall  be  lying  teach- 

i»  Tim.  ill.  15. 


20  2  Peter  i.  21. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


131 


ers  among  you,  who  shall  bring  in  sects  of  perdition,  and 
deny  the  Lord  who  bought  them,  bringing  upon  themselves 
swift  destruction.”21  The  mode  of  separating  the  genuine 
inspired  writing  from  the  production  of  the  false  prophet, 
was  not  by  the  private  authority  of  one  or  more  individuals, 
but  it  was  the  prerogative,  as  it  was  one  of  the  most  impor¬ 
tant  duties  of  the  authorised  tribunal  of  the  Church.  It  is 
also  manifest  that  when  at  a  subsequent  period,  the  val¬ 
uable  legacy  was  ascertained  and  furnished  by  her  testi¬ 
mony,  it  had  a  distinct,  precise  and  well  known  meaning, 
perfectly  in  accordance  with  the  doctrines  committed  by  the 
Saviour  to  the  guardianship  of  the  Church,  and  one  of  the 
most  necessary  obligations  and  functions  of  the  apostolic 
body  in  all  succeeding  ages,  was  to  testify  and  to  preserve 
unchanged,  that  meaning  so  as  to  guard  against  the  evil 
which  St.  Peter  subsequently  describes,  “Our  most  dear 
brother  Paul,  according  to  the  wisdom  given  to  him  hath 
written  to  you,  as  also  in  all  his  epistles,  speaking  in  them 
of  these  things:  in  which  there  are  some  things  hard  to  be 
understood,  which  the  unlearned  and  unstable  wrest, 
as  also  the  other  Scriptures,  to  their  own  perdition.  You, 
therefore,  brethren,  knowing  these  things  before,  beware; 
lest,  being  led  away  by  the  error  of  the  unwise,  you  fall 
from  your  own  steadfastness.”22 

You  perceive  then,  beloved  brethren,  that  we  receive  the 
Holy  Scriptures  upon  the  testimony  of  the  Church,  that  it 
is  by  her  guardianship  and  her  authority,  we  are  assured 
of  their  genuineness,  their  integrity,  their  purity  from  cor¬ 
ruption,  their  inspiration,  and  their  original  and  correct 
meaning.  We  therefore  profess  that  we  receive  the  Holy 
Scriptures  in  that  sense  which  our  holy  mother,  the  Church, 
to  which  it  belongs  to  judge  of  their  true  sense  and  meaning, 
has  always  held  and  now  holds:  neither  will  we  ever  take 
and  interpret  them  except  according  to  the  unanimous 
sense  of  the  fathers. 

But  it  is  not  only  by  additions  or  multilations,  or  alter¬ 
ations,  that  the  original  text  may  cease  to  be  of  value;  the 
sacred  books  may  be  corrupted  by  incorrect  translations, 
and  it  is  therefore  necessary,  that  a  responsible  and  author- 


21  ii.  l. 


22  iii.  15,  16,  17. 


132  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

ised  member  of  the  tribunal  of  the  Church,  should  in  her 
name,  vouch  for  the  correctness  of  the  translation,  other¬ 
wise  it  is  considered  of  no  authority;  it  may  or  it  may  not  be 
correct,  but  it  is  not  regarded  as  the  word  of  God,  because 
it  does  not  appear  sustained  by  the  proper  evidence.  All 
books  purporting  to  be  the  Holy  Bible,  or  any  portion  there¬ 
of,  which  are  published  without  this  testimony,  are  not  re¬ 
garded  by  us  as  the  word  of  God,  not  that  we  examine  into 
their  correctness  or  corruption,  but  upon  the  plain  principle 
of  the  total  absence  of  the  requisite  evidence  from  the 
proper  tribunal  and  its  proper  officer.  Thus  without  pro¬ 
nouncing  upon  the  merits  of  any  translation  set  forth  by 
the  Churches  or  Societies  separated  from  our  communion, 
we  do  not  receive  them  as  the  word  of  God,  precisely  upon 
the  ground  of  total  want  of  the  requisite  evidence. 

And  as  it  frequently  happens  that  persons  who  reject  the 
authority  of  the  Church,  undertake  to  expound  upon  their 
own  private  views  and  judgment  the  sacred  volume,  or  what 
they  assume  to  he  the  word  of  God,  it  is  clear  that  whether 
the  interpretation  given  by  them  be  correct  or  incorrect, 
they  who  sustain  or  encourage  them,  do  thereby  sustain  two 
false  principles:  first,  that  it  is  not  criminal  to  despise  the 
Church,  to  oppose  her  authority,  and  having  rejected  it,  to 
usurp  her  commission;  the  second,  that  the  interpretation 
of  the  sacred  books,  is  the  right  of  each  individual,  and 
not  that  of  the  authorised  tribunal  which  the  Saviour  es¬ 
tablished  to  teach  all  nations,  during  all  days  to  the 
consummation  of  the  world. 

In  our  country  it  is  assumed  by  the  larger  portion  of  our 
fellow-citizens  that  versions  of  the  Bible,  not  sustained  by 
that  evidence  which  we  require,  are  the  word  of  God;  and 
moreover,  that  all  individuals  and  all  churches  are  liable 
to  error  in  declaring  its  meaning,  and  they  admit,  as  the 
mode  by  which  we  shall  learn  what  God  has  taught,  the 
opinions,  conjectures  and  judgment  of  each  individual,  for 
himself — all  of  which  upon  the  ground  that  we  have  set  forth 
is  subversive  of  the  purity  of  doctrine  and  the  unity  of  faith; 
and  the  admission  of  which  would  be  a  dereliction  of  our 
duty.  It  is  moreover  generally  prevalent  that  in  public 
schools,  some  one  of  those  versions  should  be  read  by  the 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


133 


children  as  the  word  of  God,  and  frequently  that  the  teacher 
who  is  an  unauthorised  individual,  should  give  his  own  opin¬ 
ions  as  its  proper  interpretation,  and  that  the  child  should 
be  habituated  practically  to  the  principle,  that  it  is  the  right 
of  each  individual  to  use  his  own  private  judgment,  and  not 
the  public  testimony  of  the  Church  as  the  standard  of  inter¬ 
pretation;  whence  you  will  at  once  perceive,  the  total  op¬ 
position  of  the  principle  on  which  such  schools  are  con¬ 
ducted,  to  the  unchangeable  doctrines  and  discipline  of 
our  Church. 

We  are  desirous  that  all  under  our  charge  should  be  as 
well  acquainted  with  the  doctrine  found  in  the  Holy  Scrip¬ 
tures  as  with  any  other  portion  of  the  word  of  God,  we  also 
highly  approve  of  their  being  familiar  with  the  edifying  his¬ 
tories  and  admirable  moral  instruction  which  abound  there¬ 
in,  we  therefore  recommend  that  the  authorised  version 
be  found  in  the  houses  of  the  faithful,  and  that  portions  of 
it  be  frequently  read  with  the  veneration  which  it  so  well 
deserves,  and  meditated  upon  for  the  purpose  of  becoming 
better  acquainted  with  the  providential  ways  of  the  Lord, 
for  the  amendment  of  life,  for  the  edification  of  the  well 
disposed  and  for  the  encouragement  of  virtue.  We  desire 
that  at  an  early  period,  children  should  be  instructed  in 
the  Sacred  History,  that  they  may  be  made  acquainted  with 
the  nature  and  value  of  the  divine  volume,  that  they  be 
gradually  brought  to  its  perusal  with  docile  hearts,  and 
that  in  place  of  allowing  them  an  indiscriminate  use  of 
that  which  is  difficult  and  liable  to  gross  misconstruction, 
together  with  what  is  simple  and  edifying,  they  be  judi¬ 
ciously  led  by  proper  selections,  under  discreet  and  pious 
guides,  to  the  right  use  of  this  rich  treasure.  Moreover,  we 
are  disposed  to  doubt  seriously  whether  the  introduction 
of  this  sacred  volume  as  an  ordinary  class  book  into 
schools,  is  beneficial  to  religion.  It  is  thereby  exposed  to 
that  irreverend  familiarity,  which  is  calculated  to  produce 
more  contempt  than  veneration;  it  is  placed  side  by  side 
with  mere  human  productions,  with  the  fables  of  mythol¬ 
ogy  and  the  speculations  of  a  vain  philosophy:  it  is  thus 
too  often  made  the  subject  of  a  vulgar  jest,  it  sinks  to  the 
level  of  task-books,  and  shares  the  aversion  and  the  remarks 


134 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


which  are  generally  bestowed  upon  them  by  children.  If 
the  authorised  version  be  used  in  a  school,  it  should  be 
under  circumstances  very  different  from  those  which  are 
usually  found  in  the  public  institutions  of  our  States,  and 
this  shows  the  necessity  of  your  better  exertions  to  estab¬ 
lish  and  uphold  seminaries  and  schools,  fitted  according 
to  our  own  principles,  and  for  the  education  of  the  children 
who  are  daily  rising  up,  and  numbers  of  whom  are  lost  for 
want  of  such  institutions. 

There  is  another  evil  of  which  we  have  still  to  complain. 
We  can  scarcely  point  out  a  book  in  general  use  in  the  ordi¬ 
nary  schools,  or  even  in  higher  seminaries, 

Non-Catholic  wherein  covert  and  insidious  efforts  are 

Text-Books.  not  made  to  misrepresent  our  principles, 

to  distort  our  tenets,  to  vilify  our  practices 
and  to  bring  contempt  upon  our  Church  and  its  members. 
The  system  of  which  this  is  a  part  has  been  of  long  standing, 
and  is  not  peculiar  to  the  United  States.  It  is  no  easy  matter 
thus  to  preserve  the  faith  of  your  children  in  the  midst  of 
so  many  difficulties.  It  is  not  then  because  of  any  unkind 
feeling  to  our  fellow-citizens,  it  is  not  through  any  reluct¬ 
ance  on  our  part,  to  contribute  whatever  little  we  can  to 
the  prosperity  of  what  are  called  the  common  institutions 
of  the  country,  that  we  are  always  better  pleased  to  have 
a  separate  system  of  education  for  the  children  of  our  com¬ 
munion,  but  because  we  have  found  by  a  painful  experi¬ 
ence,  that  in  any  common  effort  it  was  always  expected 
that  our  distinctive  principles  of  religious  belief  and  prac¬ 
tice  should  be  yielded  to  the  demands  of  those  who  thought 
proper  to  charge  us  with  error;  and  because  we  saw  with 
great  pain  the  differences  which  an  attempt  to  combine 
and  to  conciliate  principles,  which  we  have  never  been 
able  to  reconcile,  has  produced  in  a  distant  Church  which 
has  always  been  found  faithful.  We  are  happy  to  perceive 
the  existence  of  a  spirit  to  sustain  the  efforts  recently  made 
to  supply  our  schools,  and  our  families  with  some  books, 
which  whilst  they  remove  the  discolourings  of  fiction,  and 
vindicate  the  truth  of  history,  will  rescue  from  unmerited 
censure  a  portion  of  our  illustrious  dead,  without  doing  vio¬ 
lence  to  the  feelings  of  even  our  opponents.  We  are 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


135 


anxious  that  truth  and  charity  should  have  dominion  in 
every  place,  but  especially  in  our  schools.  We  should  be 
gratified  to  behold  the  books  of  earlier  instruction  also  pre¬ 
pared  upon  the  same  principle,  and  we  strenuously  recom¬ 
mend  to  you  to  encourage  and  to  sustain  those  who,  being 
properly  qualified,  may  undertake  the  task. 

It  is  but  a  few  years  since  the  schools  which  the  female 
religious  orders  and  congregations  so  usefully  superintend, 
were  extensively  spread  abroad  through 
our  Union;  already  you  have  gathered  rich  The 

fruits  from  the  exertions  of  those  virtuous  Sisterhoods, 
and  laborious  sisters.  The  peculiar  bless¬ 
ing  of  heaven  appears  to  rest  upon  their  work,  calumny  has 
failed  in  her  vile  efforts  to  taint  their  fair  fame:  popu¬ 
lar  frenzy  has  been  excited  by  every  bad  art  to  effect  their 
ruin,  but  with  one  notorious  exception,  it  has  been  re¬ 
strained  and  rebuked,  and  now  we  may  feel  confident, 
under  the  blessing  of  heaven,  that  in  a  short  period,  under 
your  auspices  our  female  children  will  have  secured  to 
them,  whether  they  be  blessed  with  the  goods  of  this  world 
or  tried  by  poverty,  the  mighty  boon  of  as  perfect  a  system 
of  education  as  need  be  admired;  nor  shall  we  be  subject  to 
the  partizan  spirit  of  political  leaders,  nor  dependent  upon 
the  unsteady  and  contested  votes  of  legislative  halls  for  its 
continuance. 

Respecting  our  colleges  and  schools  for  males,  though 
much  has  been  effected,  yet  much  remains  to  be  done  by 
their  multiplication,  and  we  exhort  you  for 
the  sake  of  your  children,  your  country  and  Catholic 
your  religion,  to  come  to  our  aid  for  the  Higher 
purpose  of  making  the  effort  thus  to  pro-  Education, 

vide  for  the  literary,  moral  and  religious 
education  of  one  sex  as  well  as  of  the  other.  We  have  ex¬ 
posed  to  you  the  danger  of  their  position,  we  confide  in  your 
charity  and  in  your  zeal. 

We  have  heretofore  called  your  attention  to  the  neces¬ 
sity  and  the  obligation  of  providing  for  the  succession  of  the 
ministry  as  well  as  for  its  extension,  by  erecting  and  by 
supporting  seminaries  for  the  education  of  those  who  aspire 
to  serve  at  the  altar,  and  to  break  the  bread  of  life  to  you 


136  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

and  to  your  descendants.  You  cannot  but  be  sensible  of 
its  abiding  importance.  We  rejoice  to  find  that  since  our 

last  council  much  has  been  done  to  secure 
Vocations  to  this  object, — America  must  gradually  be- 
the  Priesthood,  come  independent  of  foreign  churches 

for  the  perpetuation  of  her  priesthood. 
At  present  the  tide  of  immigration  is  too  copious  to  pre¬ 
vent  our  dispensing  with  the  aid  of  an  immigrant  clergy. 
The  people  and  the  priest  are  derived  from  the  same  source; 
but  gradually  we  must  find  our  resources  within  ourselves, 
and  we  should  make  timely  preparation.  We  exhort  you 
then  to  continue  your  efforts,  and  to  enkindle  your  zeal  to 
co-operate  with  us  for  this  most  necessary  object. 

Neither  be  you  forgetful  of  the  aged  and  the  infirm,  who 
have  labored  in  the  vineyard  and  been  exposed  to  bear  the 
fatigue  and  the  heat  of  the  day.  In  each  Diocess  it  is  fit 
that  there  should  be  a  fund  for  their  support  and  solace, 
but  as  yet  little  has  been  done  to  create  it  or  to  augment  it 
when  created. 

There  is  a  subject  upon  which  we  have  more  reason  to 
address  you  of  late  than  heretofore;  not  only  because  of  the 

serious  consequences  which  it  has  pro- 
Christian  duced  in  Europe,  but  because  of  the  evils 
Marriage.  which  it  has  caused  amongst  ourselves. 

We  address  you  upon  it  freely  as  our  duty 
requires.  There  is  no  state  of  society  which  needs  a  more 
affectionate  bond  of  union  than  that  of  marriage:  St.  Paul  in 
his  epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  says,  “Husbands  love  your  wives, 
as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and  delivered  himself  up 
for  it,  .  .  .  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  father  and 
mother;  and  shall  adhere  to  his  wife:  and  they  shall  be  two 
in  one  flesh,”23  and  to  shew  the  dignity  to  which  it  was 
raised  he  immediately  adds,  “This  is  a  great  sacrament: 
but  I  speak  in  Christ  and  in  the  Church.”24  This  was  devel¬ 
oping  what  the  Saviour  stated,  as  we  find  in  the  gospel  of 
St.  Matthew,  and  of  which  he  said  “What  therefore  God  hath 
joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asunder.”25  Hence  a  valid 
marriage  is  indissoluble  as  the  Saviour  declared;20  it  is 

23  v*  ^5,  Ac.  24  v.  32.  25  xix.  5,  6. 

29  8,  Hp  saitR  to  them:  Moses,  because  of  the  hardness  of  your  hearts,  per- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


137 


therefore  of  the  utmost  consequence  that  they  who  enter 
into  that  holy  state,  should  take  all  due  precaution  for  their 
peace  on  earth,  the  continuance  of  their  affection,  its  se¬ 
curity  and  increase,  and  for  having  a  reasonable  hope  that 
they  and  their  children  should  serve  God  in  spirit  and  in 
truth  whilst  in  this  world,  and  should  be  brought  to  the  en¬ 
joyment  of  his  glory  in  a  better. 

It  is  hard  to  imagine  a  more  painful  state  of  mind  than 
that  of  a  person  firmly  convinced  of  the  truths  of  religion, 
bound  to  one  whose  persuasions  are  differ¬ 
ent,  and  beholding  beloved  children  either  Mixed 
lost  to  the  truth  or  in  continual  danger  of  Marriages, 
perversion.  Nor  does  the  mind  confine 
itself  to  the  view  of  the  first  generation,  it  spreads  forward 
over  times  yet  to  arise,  and  multitudes  that  are  successively 
to  make  their  appearance,  and  the  parent  feels  accountable 
for  the  negligence  which  spreads  amongst  them  the  prin¬ 
ciple  of  unbelief.  Very  many  instances  of  bitter  repent¬ 
ance,  unavailing  as  respects  the  progeny,  have  come  under 
our  observation,  and  have  filled  us  with  sorrow  deepened 
by  our  sharing  in  that  bitter  grief  which  corroded  the  heart 
of  one  who  under  the  influence  of  ill  regulated  attachment 
flung  over  the  field  of  future  life,  the  seeds  productive  for 
long  years  of  unassuaged  affliction.  It  was  to  guard  against 
this  evil  and  the  consequent  loss  of  so  many  souls  that  St. 

mitted  you  to  put  away  your  wives:  but  from  the  beginning  it  was  not  so.  9. 
And  I  say  unto  you  whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  except  it  be  for  fornica¬ 
tion,  and  shall  marry  another,  committeth  adultery:  and  he  who  marrieth  her 
that  is  put  away  committeth  adultery. — Matthew  xix. 

11.  And  he  said  to  them:  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife  and  marry  an¬ 
other,  committeth  adultery  against  her.  12.  And  if  the  wife  shall  put  away  her 
husband,  and  be  married  to  another  she  committeth  adultery. — Mark  x. 

18.  Every  one  that  putteth  away  his  wife  and  marrieth  another,  committeth 
adultery;  and  he  that  marrieth  her  that  is  put  away  from  her  husband,  com¬ 
mitteth  adultery. — Luke  xvi. 

2.  For  a  woman  that  hath  a  husband,  while  her  husband  liveth,  is  bound  to 
the  law:  but  if  her  husband  be  dead,  she  is  loosed  from  the  law  of  her  hus¬ 
band.  3.  Wherefore,  whilst  her  husband  liveth  she  shall  be  called  an  adulteress 
if  she  be  with  another  man:  but  if  her  husband  be  dead,  she  is  free  from  the 
law  of  her  husband:  so  that  she  is  not  an  adulteress,  if  she  be  with  another 
man. — Romans  vii. 

10.  But  to  them  that  are  married,  not  I,  but  the  Lord  commandeth,  that  the 
wife  depart  not  from  the  husband.  11.  And  if  she  depart  that  she  remain 
unmarried,  or  be  reconciled  to  her  husband.  And  let  not  the  husband  put  away 
his  wife.  .  .  .  39.  A  woman  is  bound  by  the  law,  as  long  as  her  husband  liveth: 
but  if  her  husband  die,  she  is  at  liberty:  let  her  marry  whom  she  will,  only  in 
the  Lord  (in  the  communion  of  the  Church ). — Corinthians  vii. 


138 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


Paul  warned  the  Corinthians  “Bear  not  the  yoke  with 
unbelievers.” 27  He  had  previously  admonished  them 
lhat  if  upon  the  Christian  religion  being  embraced  by  one 
party,  the  unbelieving  husband  or  wife  would  consent  to 
dwell  peaceably  with  the  believer  and  not  prevent  the  chil¬ 
dren  from  being  cleansed  and  made  holy  through  Christ, 
the  believer  was  bound  by  virtue  of  the  previous  contract  to 
remain.  But  that  if  the  unbeliever  would  not  allow  this  to 
be  done  in  peace,  and  would  depart,  then  the  believing  party 
was  not  under  bondage,  and  the  marriage  which  was  not 
made  in  the  Christian  Church,  and  under  the  Christian  law, 
did  not  produce  the  Christian  obligation.28  Here  the  par¬ 
ties  had  been  united  previously  to  the  conversion  of  the  be¬ 
liever,  and  the  case  was  very  different  from  that  to  which 
he  refers  in  the  prohibition  in  which  allusion  has  been 
made  above.  The  principle  was  explained  by  the  Lord  him¬ 
self,  very  distinctly  at  an  early  period.  It  is  the  danger  of 
perversion.29  Neither  should  any  one  calculate  upon  his 
self-sufficiency.  What  an  exemplification  have  we  in  Solo¬ 
mon!30 

27  2  Cor.  vi.  14. 

28  12.  If  any  brother  have  a  wife  that  believeth  not,  and  she  consent  to  dwell 
with  him,  let  him  not  put  her  away.  13.  And  if  any  woman  have  a  husband  that 
believeth  not  and  he  consent  to  dwell  with  her;  let  her  not  put  away  her  hus¬ 
band.  14.  For  the  unbelieving  husband  is  sanctified  by  the  believing  wife;  and 
the  unbelieving  wife  is  sanctified  by  the  believing  husband:  otherwise  your  chil¬ 
dren  should  be  unclean;  but  now  they  are  holy.  15.  But  if  the  unbeliever  de¬ 
part,  let  him  depart.  For  a  brother  and  sister  is  not  under  bondage  in  such  cases. 
— 1  Corinthians  vii. 

29  16.  Neither  shalt  thou  take  of  their  daughters  a  wife  for  thy  son,  lest 
after  they  themselves  have  committed  fornication  they  make  thy  sons  also  to 
commit  fornication  with  their  gods. — Exodus  xxxiv. 

3.  Neither  shalt  thou  make  marriages  with  them.  Thou  shalt  not  give  thy 
daughter  to  his  son,  nor  take  his  daughter  for  thy  son.  4.  For  she  will  turn 
away  thy  son  from  following  me,  that  he  may  rather  serve  strange  gods :  and 
the  wrath  of  the  Lord  will  be  kindled,  and  will  quickly  destroy  thee. — Deuter¬ 
onomy  vii. 

30  1.  And  King  Solomon  loved  many  strange  women,  besides  the  daughters 

of  Pharaoh,  and  women  of  Moab,  and  of  Ammon,  and  of  Edom,  and  of  Sidon, 
and  of  the  Hethites :  2.  Of  all  the  nations  concerning  which  the  Lord  said  to 

the  children  of  Israel :  You  shall  not  go  into  them,  neither  shall  any  of  them 
come  into  yours;  for  they  will  most  certainly  turn  away  your  hearts  to  follow 
their  gods.  .  .  4.  And  when  he  was  now  old,  his  heart  was  turned  away  by 
women  to  follow  strange  gods.  .  .  5.  Solomon  worshipped  Astarthe,  the 
goddess  of  the  Sidonians,  and  Moloch  the  idol  of  the  Ammonites.  .  .  7.  Solo¬ 

mon  built  a  temple  for  Chamos,  the  idol  of  the  Moab,  on  the  hill  that  is  over 
against  Jerusalem.  .  .  8.  And  he  did  in  this  manner  for  all  his  wives  that 

were  strangers,  who  burned  incense  and  offered  sacrifice  to  their  gods.  9.  And 
the  Lord  was  angry  with  Solomon .  11.  And  the  Lord  therefore  said  to 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


139 


From  the  earliest  period  of  the  Christian  dispensation, 
we  find  the  code  of  discipline  invariably  opposed  to  those 
marriages  of  members  of  the  Church  with  persons  estranged 
from  her  communion;  and  if  occasionally,  in  a  few  in¬ 
stances,  she  unwillingly  tolerated  the  departure,  it  was  only 
under  very  peculiar  circumstances,  and  the  nuptials  were 
not  to  receive  the  blessing  of  the  Church,  though  the  Clergy¬ 
man  was  permitted  to  attend  as  a  witness  of  the  contract. 
Age  succeeding  age,  we  find  this  discipline  continually  en¬ 
forced.  Nor  was  the  presence  of  the  Priest  permitted,  now 
as  a  witness,  unless  upon  the  previous  solemn  pledge  of 
both  parties,  who  desired  to  contract,  that  all  the  offspring 
of  the  marriage  should  be  baptized  and  educated  in  the 
faith  of  the  Church.  We  have  to  lament  that  this  wholesome 
discipline  has  been  not  every  where  in  our  province  rigidly 
observed;  and  we  have  taken  those  steps  that  prudent  coun¬ 
sel  and  our  duty  suggested,  to  cause  the  ancient  salutary 
regulations  in  this  regard,  to  be  brought  into  full  operation. 
We  trust  no  Priest  will  be  found  negligent  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duty;  and  that  our  effort  to  preserve  unimpaired  the 
doctrine  and  discipline  of  our  province  will  meet  with  the 
cordial  support  of  our  faithful  people. 

Need  we  draw  your  attention  to  the  perfidious  conduct 
of  the  king  of  Prussia  and  his  councillors  in  this  regard? 
After  having  received  in  addition  to  his 
former  domains  a  large  portion  of  territory  Persecution 
inhabited  by  Catholics,  upon  pledging  his  in  Prussia, 
royal  word  that  his  new  subjects  should  en¬ 
joy  all  their  ancient  rights  and  liberties,  especially  those  ap¬ 
pertaining  to  religion;  after  having  entered  into  several  sol¬ 
emn  treaties  upon  the  subject  of  these  religious  rights,  with 
the  holy  See,  and  some  of  them  specially  on  the  discipline 
of  marriage;  he  sought  under  the  pretext  of  political  regu¬ 
lations  to  subvert  those  liberties  and  to  destroy  these  rights; 
he  introduced  hordes  of  Protestant  office  holders  into  the 
Catholic  provinces,  and  in  violation  of  all  his  engagements 
sought  by  means  of  their  intermarriage  with  the  Catholic 


Solomon:  because  thou  hast  done  this,  and  hast  not  kept  my  covenant,  and  my 
precepts  which  I  have  commanded  thee,  I  will  divide  and  rend  thy  kingdom; 
and  will  give  it  to  thy  servant. — 3  Kings  xi.  (Prot.  version,  1  Kings.) 


140  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

females,  to  spread  the  new  religion  through  the  land,  by 
enacting  that  whatever  might  be  the  stipulation  of  the  par¬ 
ents,  all  the  children  should  be  educated  in  the  Protestant 
religion.  And  he  cast  into  prison  or  sent  into  banishment 
the  glorious  prelates  who  refused  to  become  the  minions  of 
his  will.  We  have  found  the  sentiments  of  our  clergy  and 
of  our  people  in  their  regard  in  unison  with  our  own, 
and  we  have  in  their  name  and  in  ours  sent  letters  of  con¬ 
dolence  and  affection  to  the  persecuted  Archbishops  of 
Cologne,  and  of  Gnesen  and  Posnen,  and  also  one  to  our  holy 
father,  who  has  approved  of  their  conduct,  and  complained 
of  the  injustice  of  which  they  are  victims.  Whilst  then 
beloved  brethren  your  sentiments  and  ours  are  thus  ex¬ 
pressed  to  those  glorious  confessors  of  the  faith,  let  us  prove 
by  your  own  conduct  that  we  are  animated  by  a  similar 
spirit  to  that  which  they  have  displayed. 

At  all  times  the  Church  has  censured  such  of  her  chil¬ 
dren  as  became  members  of  societies,  bound  by  solemn  ob¬ 
ligations  to  secrecy,  by  whatever  name 
Secret  they  may  be  called,  or  whatever  object  they 
Societies.  may  profess  to  attain.  Experience  has 
taught  that  some  of  them  having  an  ap¬ 
pearance  of  inculcating  morality,  were  calculated,  if  not  in¬ 
tended,  to  subvert  the  great  principles  of  revealed  religion, 
by  sapping  the  foundations  of  that  faith,  without  which, 
as  St.  Paul  says,  it  is  impossible  to  please  God.31  They  acted 
upon  the  maxim  that  moral  honesty  without  regard  to  differ¬ 
ence  of  belief,  was  sufficient  to  render  man  perfect,  and  that 
whatever  form  of  religion  he  followed,  whatever  religious 
doctrine  he  admitted  or  rejected,  he  was  equally  a  true  and 
faithful  servant,  provided  he  reduced  to  practice  the  pre¬ 
cept  of  fraternal  love,  and  led  a  moral  life  according  to  the 
principles  recognized  by  the  society.  You  will  observe,  be¬ 
loved  brethren,  that  this  is  a  manifest  departure  from  the 
declaration  of  the  Apostle,  from  that  of  the  Saviour,  re¬ 
quiring  that  persons  should  believe  his  doctrine  as  promul¬ 
gated  by  his  Apostle.32  It  is  in  direct  opposition  to  the 

31  Heb.  xi.  6. 

32  16.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved:  but  he  that  be- 
lieveth  not  shall  be  consumed. — Mark  xvi. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


141 


first  principles  of  our  Church,  viz.  “That  man  is  bound  to 
worship  God  in  that  special  manner,  which  is  directed  by 
himself  and  not  according  to  the  speculation,  or  the  caprice, 
or  the  fashion  of  the  world/’  Man  is  bound  to  believe  God 
when  he  vouchsafes  to  reveal  his  will  or  his  knowledge.  In 
plain  opposition  to  the  undoubted  principles  here  laid 
down,  it  is  proclaimed  that  all  moral  members  of  these  So¬ 
cieties,  are  equally  true  servants  of  the  great  Master  of  the 
Universe — Christians  of  every  denomination,  Jews,  Mahom¬ 
etans,  Pagans  and  Infidels  are  all  associated  upon  the  prin¬ 
ciple  adduced,  and  thus  under  the  pretext  of  an  expansive 
liberality,  every  species  of  error  is  admitted  to  associate 
with  truth,  and  he  who  would  attempt  to  introduce  amongst 
the  brethren,  any  distinction  upon  the  ground  of  religious 
truth  or  religious  error,  would  violate  the  order  of  the 
brotherhood.  Without  entering  then  into  the  detail  of  any 
of  the  numerous  objections  upon  other  grounds  to  the  prin¬ 
ciples  and  the  practices  of  secret  Societies,  our  duty  com¬ 
pels  us  to  repeat,  that  upon  this  single  ground,  they  who  ad¬ 
here  to  such  Societies,  by  whatever  name  they  may  be 
recognized,  are  inadmissible  to  the  Sacraments,  and  ex¬ 
cluded  from  all  the  benefits  of  the  Church,  until  they  shall 
have  completely  severed  the  connexion. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  confine  the  above  remarks  ex¬ 
clusively  to  any  one  Society,  they  extend  to  all  that  are  ac¬ 
customed  to  have  secret  proceedings,  mysterious  symbols, 
private  tokens  of  recognition  and  oaths  or  other  pledges  of 
like  solemnity,  assuming  to  bind  them  to  secrecy,  especially 
not  to  divulge  a  communication  to  be  subsequently  made, 
and  upon  whose  nature  they  can  pass  no  reasonable  judg¬ 
ment  when  they  undertake  the  obligation. 

Amongst  those  Societies  we  learn  with  deep  regret,  that 
upon  our  public  works  where  large  masses  of  the  labouring 
population  are  kept  together,  there  exist  associations  of  a 
most  demoralizing  and  dangerous  character. 

As  far  as  we  can  discover,  the  pretext  is  their  own  pro¬ 
tection,  but  the  practice  is  monopoly,  blasphemy,  insubordi- 

47.  And  the  Lord  added  daily  to  their  society,  such  as  should  be  saved. — 
Acts  ii. 

12.  Nor  is  there  salvation  in  any  other.  For  there  is  no  other  name  under 
heaven  even  to  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved. — Acts  iv. 


142  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

nation,  drunkenness,  idleness,  riot  and  the  terror  of  the 
vicinity.  This  abundantly  explains  the  rapid  demoraliza¬ 
tion  of  a  class  that  was  originally  virtuous,  industrious,  la¬ 
borious,  useful  and  peaceable.  When  once  the  custom  of 
forming  secret  Societies  is  established  in  any  part  of  a  com¬ 
munity,  it  rapidly  pervades  the  entire,  and  demoralization  is 
the  necessary  consequence.  We  earnestly  conjure  you, 
then,  beloved  brethren,  to  have  no  part  in  this  pernicious 
practice,  and  to  use  your  best  efforts  to  guard  others  against 
the  delusion  that  these  associations  are  compatible  with 
good  order  and  religion. 

And  here,  beloved  brethren,  whilst  we  disclaim  all  right 
to  interfere  with  your  judgment  in  the  political  affairs  of 

our  common  country,  and  are  far  from  en- 

The  Sacred  tertaining  the  wish  to  control  you  in  the 
Obligation  of  constitutional  exercises  of  your  freedom — 
the  Ballot.  we  cannot  in  justice  to  ourselves,  refrain 

from  addressing  to  you  a  few  observations 
equally  demanded  by  the  love  that  we  bear  to  our  civil  and 
political  institutions,  and  the  obligations  of  morality.  You 
cannot  but  be  aware  that  our  own  views  and  sentiments, 
respecting  the  political  parties  which  divide  our  national 
counsels,  are  as  little  in  harmony  as  are  your  own,  or  those 
of  any  other  religious  body  in  our  land.  You  cannot,  there¬ 
fore,  attribute  our  monition  to  any  political  bias,  nor  enter¬ 
tain  the  suspicion  that  it  is  meant  to  produce  any  political 
effect.  Our  object  is  exclusively  the  respectability  of  our 
land,  the  stability  of  our  constitution,  the  perpetuation  of 
our  liberties,  and  the  preservation  of  pure  and  undefiled 
religion. 

The  periods  which  precede  our  great  elections  are  usu¬ 
ally  marked  by  extraordinary  excitement.  Associations 
are  formed,  committees  are  appointed,  clubs  are  organised, 
party  spirit  is  excited,  the  tongue  and  the  pen  are  embit¬ 
tered  by  virulence,  truth  is  disregarded,  and  more  melan¬ 
choly  and  more  censurable  still!  freemen  of  every  religious 
denomination,  electors  upon  the  proper  exercise  of  whose 
judgment  we  receive  statesmen  who  may  save  our  republic 
from  ruin,  or  who  may  degrade  them  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world,  and  may  destroy  our  peace  and  our  liberty;  voters 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


143 


upon  whose  virtues  and  prudence  our  dearest  rights  depend, 
are  brutalized  by  pampering  their  meanest  passions,  are  by 
vile  bribery  debased  to  the  lowest  grade  of  infamy  and  reck¬ 
lessness;  and  thus  what  was  meant  to  be  a  blessing  is  turned 
into  a  curse.  Beloved  brethren,  flee  this  contamination, 
keep  aloof  from  these  crimes — reflect  that  you  are  account¬ 
able  not  only  to  society  but  to  God,  for  the  honest  independ¬ 
ent  and  fearless  exercise  of  your  own  franchise,  that  it  is 
a  trust  confided  to  you  not  for  your  private  gain  but  for 
the  public  good,  and  that  if  yielding  to  any  undue  influ¬ 
ence  you  act  either  through  favor,  affection,  or  the  motives 
of  dishonest  gain  against  your  own  deliberate  view  of  what 
will  promote  your  country’s  good,  you  have  violated  your 
trust,  you  have  betrayed  your  conscience,  and  you  are  a 
renegade  to  your  country.  Do  then,  we  entreat  of  you,  avoid 
the  contaminating  influence  of  political  strife,  keep  your¬ 
selves  aloof  from  the  pestilential  atmosphere  in  which 
honor,  virtue,  patriotism  and  religion  perish;  and  be  as¬ 
sured  that  our  republic  never  can  be  respected  abroad,  nor 
sustained  at  home,  save  by  an  uncompromising  adherence 
to  honor,  to  virtue,  to  patriotism  and  to  religion.  How  often 
have  we  had  to  weep  over  the  havoc  of  morals,  and  the 
wreck  of  religion  which  political  excitement  has  produced. 

One  word  more  upon  a  subject  analogous  to  this.  The 
divine  wisdom  assures  us  33  that  “where  pride  is,  there  also 
shall  be  reproach:  but  where  humility  is, 
there  also  is  wisdom.  The  simplicity  of  The  Danger 
the  just  shall  guide  them:  and  the  deceit-  of  Riches, 
fulness  of  the  wicked  shall  destroy  them. 

Riches  shall  not  profit  in  the  day  of  revenge.  .  .  .  He 

that  trusteth  in  riches  shall  fall:  but  the  just  shall  spring 
up  as  a  green  leaf,”  and  again  34  “a  covetous  man  shall  not 
be  satisfied  with  money,  and  he  that  loveth  riches  shall  reap 
no  fruit  from  them.”  And  the  Saviour  warned  us,35  “Take 
heed  and  beware  of  covetousness:  for  a  man’s  life  doth  not 
consist  in  the  abundance  of  things  which  he  possesseth.” 
The  pervading  temptations  of  our  land  are  the  pride  of 
luxury,  the  speculations  of  avarice,  the  love  of  riches,  the 
inordinate  desire  of  gain;  by  these,  millions  are  riveted  to 


33  Prov.  xi. 


84  Ecc.  V. 


35  LuJte  xii.  15. 


144 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


this  world  and  become  forgetful  of  God,  for  wherever  our 
treasure  is  there  also  will  our  hearts  be.38  Be  you  not  then 
carried  away  thus,  but  content  with  the  moderate  acquisi¬ 
tions  of  honest  industry,  do  unto  all  men  as  you  would 
they  should  do  unto  you,  “lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures 
in  heaven:  where  neither  the  rust  nor  the  moth  doth  con¬ 
sume,  and  where  thieves  do  not  dig  through  and  steal.” 

Our  attention  has  been  repeatedly  given  to  the  subject 
of  intemperance;  this  vice  has  spread  wide  desolation 

through  many  lands,  it  has  blighted  the 

Intemperance,  worldly  prospects  of  several  who  prom¬ 
ised  to  decorate  society  by  their  talents, 
their  acquirements  and  virtues,  it  has  caused  the  tear  of 
silent  bitterness  to  consume  the  strength  and  to  exhaust  the 
happiness  of  many  a  family,  whilst  it  has  degraded  the 
image  of  God  in  man,  and  filled  the  world  with  scandal.37 
It  has  always  been  one  of  the  great  objects  of  the  Church, 
to  establish  the  wholesome  discipline  of  temperance 
amongst  her  children.  Several  of  her  cherished  religious 
orders,  have  voluntarily  renounced  the  use  of  wines  and  ar¬ 
dent  spirits,  except  in  cases  of  the  last  extremity.  Her  most 
learned  doctors,  her  holiest  prelates,  her  devoted  mission¬ 
aries,  many  who  bore  high  rule  over  millions,  whilst  with 
David  they  praised  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  splendid  courts, 
were  amongst  the  brightest  models  of  temperance,  and  even 

36  Matt.  vi.  21. 

37  1.  Wine  is  a  luxurious  thing,  and  drunkenness  riotous:  whosoever  is  de¬ 
lighted  therewith,  shall  not  be  wise. — Proverbs  xx. 

31.  Lamuel !  give  not  wine  to  kings :  because  there  is  no  secret  where 
drunkenness  reigneth.  32.  And  lest  they  drink  and  forget  judgments,  and  per¬ 
vert  the  cause  of  the  children  of  the  poor. — Ibid.  xxxi. 

30.  Challength  not  them  that  love  wine:  for  wine  hath  destroyed  very  many. 
31.  Fire  trieth  hard  iron:  so  wine  drunk  to  excess  shall  rebuke  the  hearts  of  the 
proud.  .  .  .  38.  Wine  drunken  with  excess  raiseth  quarrels  and  wrath, 

and  many  ruins.  39.  Wine  drunken  with  excess  is  bitterness  of  the  soul.  40. 
The  heat  of  drunkenness  is  the  stumbling  block  of  the  fool,  lessening  strength 
and  causing  wounds. — Ecclesiasticus  xxxi. 

11.  Wo  to  you  that  rise  up  early  In  the  morning  to  follow  drunkenness,  and 
to  drink  till  the  evening  to  be  inflamed  with  wine.  ...  14.  Therefore  hath 

hell  enlarged  her  soul,  and  opened  her  mouth  without  any  bounds,  &c.  .  .  . 

22.  Wo  to  you  that  are  mighty  to  drink  wine,  and  stout  men  at  drunkenness. — 
Isaias  v. 

7.  But  these  also  have  been  ignorant  through  wine,  and  through  drunkenness 
have  erred :  the  priest  and  the  prophet  have  been  ignorant  through  drunken¬ 
ness :  they  have  not  known  him  that  seeth,  they  have  been  ignorant  of  judgment. 
8.  For  all  tables  were  full  of  vomit  and  filth,  so  that  there  was  no  more  any 
place. — Ibid,  xxviii. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


145 


of  austerity;  severe  to  themselves  they  were  more  indulgent 
to  others.  They  were  aware  of  the  distinction  which  our 
blessed  Saviour  established  between  the  precepts  of  the  gos¬ 
pel,  and  its  counsels  of  perfection.38  And  whilst  they  as¬ 
pired  to  follow  the  latter  as  a  rule  for  their  own  conduct, 
they  exhibited  the  former  as  the  obligation  of  the  Christian. 
Unlike  to  those  who  bound  heavy  and  insupportable  bur¬ 
den’s  upon  men’s  shoulders,  without  applying  a  finger  of 
their  own  to  move  them,39  they  undertook  to  carry  the  yoke, 
and  to  bear  the  weight,  and  to  allure  others  by  their  ex¬ 
ample,  declaring  that  they  experienced  the  truth  of  our 
Saviour’s  assurance,  that  his  yoke  was  sweet,  and  his  bur¬ 
den  light.40 

Endeavouring  to  imitate  their  prudence,  if  we  do  not 
emulate  their  austerity,  we  neither  feel  ourselves  warranted 
to  require,  nor  called  upon  to  recommend  to  all  our  flocks, 
a  total  abstinence  from  a  beverage  which  the  sacred  Scrip¬ 
tures  do  not  prohibit,  and  of  which  the  most  holy  persons 
have  occasionally  partaken.41  We  however,  do  commend 
the  resolution  of  those  persons  who,  to  guard  the  more  ef¬ 
fectually  against  temptation,  and  to  endeavour  by  their 

38  16.  And  behold  one  came  and  said  to  him:  Good  master  what  good  shall 
I  do,  that  I  may  have  life  everlasting?  17.  And  he  said  to  him:  Why  asketh 
thou  me  concerning  good?  One  is  good,  God.  But  if  thou  wilt  enter  into  life 
keep  the  commandments.  18.  He  saith  to  him:  Which?  And  Jesus  said:  Thou 
shait  do  no  murder:  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery:  Thou  shalt  not  steal: 
Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness.  19.  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother:  and, 
Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.  20.  The  young  man  said  to  him: 
All  these  I  have  kept  from  my  youth:  What  is  yet  wanting  to  me?  21.  Jesus 
saith  to  him:  If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go,  sell  what  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the 
poor;  and  thou  shalt  have  a  treasure  in  heaven:  and  come  follow  me. — Matthew 
xix. 

10.  His  disciples  say  to  him:  If  the  case  of  a  man  with  his  wife  be  so,  it  is 
not  good  to  marry.  11.  He  said:  All  receive  not  this  word,  but  they  to  whom 
it  is  given. — Ibid. 

38.  Therefore  he  that  giveth  his  virgin  in  marriage  doeth  well :  And  he  that 
giveth  her  not  doeth  better. — 1  Corinthians  vii. 

39  Matt,  xxxiii.  4.  40  Matt.  xi.  28,  29,  30. 

41  32.  Wine  taken  with  sobriety  is  equal  life  to  men:  If  thou  drink  it  mod¬ 
erately,  thou  shalt  be  sober.  .  .  .  35.  Wine  was  created  from  the  beginning 

to  make  men  joyful  and  not  to  make  them  drunk.  36.  Wine  drunken  with  mod¬ 
eration  is  joy  of  the  soul  and  heart.  37.  Sober  drinking  is  health  to  soul  and 
body. — Ecc.  xxxi. 

33.  For  John  the  Baptist  came,  neither  eating  bread  nor  drinking  wine,  and 
you  say:  He  hath  a  devil.  34.  The  Son  of  man  is  come,  eating  and  drinking, 
and  you  say:  Behold  a  man  that  is  a  glutton  and  a  drinker  of  wine,  a  friend 
of  publicans  and  sinners. — Luke  vii. 

23.  Do  not  still  drink  water,  but  use  a  little  wine  for  the  stomach’s  sake  and 
thy  frequent  infirmities. — 1  Timothy  v. 


146  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

example  and  influence,  the  eradication  of  vice,  and  hav¬ 
ing  no  need  of  their  use,  abstain  altogether  from  ardent 
spirits. 

We  are  taught  by  the  Saviour,  that  without  him  we  can 
do  nothing.42  We  must  be  aided  by  his  grace,  if  we  would 
effectually  overcome  vice  and  practice  virtue.  They  who 
would  subdue  drunkenness,  who  would  restrain  intemper¬ 
ance,  should  be  sustained  by  him  from  whom  is  all  our 
strength.  “Unless  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labour  in 
vain  that  build  it.”43  Much  as  we  may  esteem  the  motives  and 
the  object  of  those,  who  by  mere  human  means,  endeavour 
to  produce  this  salutary  reform,  and  greatly  as  we  may  prize 
the  moral  improvement  in  which  they  have  aided,  we  are 
fully  convinced  that  no  lasting  amendment  will  be  insured, 
save  by  the  grace  of  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Hence  we  would  desire  to  see  established  amongst  us,  those 
pious  confraternities,  which  at  all  times  have  done  so  much 
good  to  true  religion  and  to  pure  morals,  by  mutual  encour¬ 
agement  to  partake  of  the  Sacraments,  which  are  the  chan¬ 
nels  of  grace  established  by  our  blessed  Saviour,  to  convey 
to  our  souls  this  precious  treasure,  by  which  we  may  be  en¬ 
riched  and  strengthened  to  every  good  work,  to  sobriety,  to 
temperance,  to  justice,  to  benevolence,  to  charity,  to  pa¬ 
tience,  to  chastity,  to  the  fulfilment  of  the  law,  to  the  obser¬ 
vance  of  the  counsels,  to  the  adornment  of  the  doctrine  of 
God  our  Saviour  in  all  things. 

The  seductions  of  the  world  are  many,  and  its  spirit  is 
powerful,  but  with  the  aid  of  the  Lord,  by  the  practice  of 
prayer,  by  the  habit  of  meditation  on  the  law  of  the  Lord,  by 
mutual  kind  advice  and  friendly  monition,  by  edifying  their 
brethren  and  strangers,  by  their  good  order,  and  the  re¬ 
spectability  of  their  demeanour,  and  above  all  by  the  aid 
derived  from  frequently  receiving  the  Sacraments  of  Pen¬ 
ance  and  the  Holy  Eucharist,  these  confraternities  would 
overcome  the  world,  they  would  win  upon  the  negligent 
and  the  criminal,  they  would  secure  respect  for  religion 
and  would  extend  peace  and  good  will  upon  earth,  and 
contribute  to  the  glory  given  to  the  most  high  God  of 
heaven. 


42  John  xx.  5. 


43  Psalm  exxvi. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


147 


We  have  to  request  that  in  your  prayers  you  will  be 
mindful  of  our  benefactors.  You  are  aware  that  in  Europe 
there  are  two  great  societies,  that  by  constant  and  very 
moderate  individual  contributions,  have  for  some  years 
back  accumulated  large  alms  for  the  aid 
of  struggling  missions,  and  their  alms  are  The  Societies 
enriched  by  their  daily  prayers,  that  the  of  Lyons  and 
Lord  would  vouchsafe  to  bless  the  labours  of  Vienna, 
of  those  who  are  sent  forth  to  combat 
against  error  and  vice.  One  of  these  societies  extends 
through  the  Austrian  dominions,  and  its  executive  council 
is  at  Vienna;  the  other  had  its  origin  in  France,  but  now  ex¬ 
tends  through  several  other  nations  of  Europe:  its  labours 
and  its  funds  are  divided;  the  executive  council  for  the 
Eastern  hemisphere  holds  its  sessions  in  Paris,  that  for  the 
Western  at  Lyons.  We  have  been  generously  aided  both 
from  Vienna  and  Lyons.  To  the  benefactions  of  our 
brethren  in  the  faith,  we  owe  much  of  the  progress  that  we 
have  made,  to  these  you  owe  many  of  your  churches,  to 
them  you  are  indebted  for  the  services  of  many  valuable 
missionaries,  the  support  of  some  of  our  seminaries,  and 
God  alone  can  estimate  the  mighty  value  of  their  pious  sup¬ 
plications.  Whilst  they  possess  our  confidence  and  receive 
our  gratitude,  let  them  not  be  forgotten  at  the  holy  altar, 
let  them  be  remembered  in  our  chambers,  let  them  have  a 
place  in  our  hearts,  so  that  when  we  lift  those  hearts  in  as¬ 
pirations  to  heaven,  the  affection  that  we  bear  them  may 
waft  their  deeds  of  charity  before  our  Father,  and  he  may 
requite  their  mercy  with  a  rich  reward.44 

Let  us  then,  beloved  brethren,  animated  by  the  glorious 
example  which  they  have  given,  and  encouraged  by  their 
generous  aid,  exert  ourselves  to  co-operate  in  the  holy  effort, 
by  giving  more  abundantly  of  the  means  which  God  has 
placed  at  our  disposal.  Let  the  spirit  of  cordial  affection  for 
each  other  predominate  in  our  churches,  that  we  may  labour 

44  40.  He  that  receiveth  you,  receiveth  me:  and  he  that  receiveth  me,  re- 
ceiveth  him  that  sent  me.  41.  He  that  receiveth  a  prophet  in  the  name  of  a 
prophet,  shall  receive  the  reward  of  a  prophet:  and  he  that  receiveth  a  just 
man  in  the  name  of  a  just  man  shall  receive  the  reward  of  a  Just  man.  42.  And 
whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  to  one  of  these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water 
only  in  the  name  of  a  disciple.  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  he  shall  not  lose  his  reward. — 
Matthew  x. 


148 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


together  for  the  great  cause  of  our  common  Redeemer. 
Let  the  weak  be  sustained  by  the  strong,  and  let  the  wants 
of  the  several  struggling  churches  be  considered  the  charge 
of  the  body,  for  Christ  is  not  divided. 

Amongst  our  various  missions,  one  of  the  most  interest¬ 
ing  is  that  amongst  our  aboriginal  tribes  in  the  west.  Thou¬ 
sands  of  those  children  of  the  forest,  are 
Indian  pious  members  in  our  communion,  and 
Missions.  thousands  more  are  desirous  of  instruction. 

Their  case  has  been  represented  to  us  from 
a  most  respectable  quarter,  as  one  deserving  of  your  special 
attention.  We  therefore  recommend  it  to  you  in  the  Lord, 
advising  you  that  whatsoever  you  may  feel  disposed  to  con¬ 
tribute  should  be  sent  through  your  immediate  pastors  to 
your  bishop,  who  will  carefully  secure  its  application  to  this 
most  charitable  object. 

And  now  brethren,  we  commend  you  to  the  Lord  for  his 
holy  protection,  beseeching  you  to  walk  worthy  of  your  vo¬ 
cation.  “Let  us  therefore  cast  off  the  works 
of  darkness  and  put  on  the  armour  of  light, 
let  us  walk  honestly  as  in  the  day,  not  in 
rioting  and  drunknness,  not  in  chambering 
and  impurities,  not  in  contention  and  envy,  but  put  ye  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ:”45  “Loving  one  another  with  broth¬ 
erly  love;  in  honour  preventing  one  another;  in  solicitude 
not  slothful;  in  spirit  fervent;  serving  the  Lord;  rejoicing  in 
hope;  patient  in  tribulation;  instant  in  prayer;  communi¬ 
cating  to  the  necessities  of  the  saints;  pursuing  hospitality; 
bless  them  that  persecute  you;  bless  and  curse  not;  rejoice 
with  them  that  rejoice;  weep  with  them  that  weep;  being  of 
one  mind  to  one  another;  not  high  minded  but  condescend¬ 
ing  to  the  humble;  be  not  wise  in  your  own  conceits:  ren¬ 
der  to  no  man  evil  for  evil;  provide  things  good  not  only 
in  the  sight  of  God,  but  also  in  the  sight  of  all  men;  if  it  be 
possible,  as  much  as  is  in  you  have  peace  with  all  men.”48 
“And  the  peace  of  God  which  surpasseth  all  understanding 
keep  your  hearts  and  minds  in  Christ  Jesus.”47 — Amen. 


Conclusion. 


45  Rom.  xiii.  12,  13,  14. 
46  Rom.  xii.  10,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18. 


47  Philip,  iv.  7. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1840 


149 


Given  in  Provincial  Council,  in  Baltimore ,  this  23d  day 
of  May ,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  18k0. 

•FSamuel,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

•^Benedict  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Bardstown . 

+John,  Bishop  of  Charleston. 

^Joseph,  Bishop  of  St.  Louis. 

^Benedict,  Bishop  of  Boston. 

^Michael,  Bishop  of  Mobile. 

•FFrancis  Patrick,  Bishop  of  Arath;  Coadjutor  of 
Philadelphia. 

•FJohn  Baptist,  Bishop  of  Cincinnati. 

HHAnthony,  Bishop  of  New  Orleans. 

^Matthias,  Bishop  of  Dubuque. 

*1* Richard  Pius,  Bishop  of  Nashville. 

^Celestin,  Bishop  of  Vincennes. 


CHAPTER  VII 
The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1843 

EACH  Provincial  Council  witnessed  an  increasing  number  of 
prelates  from  the  newly  created  dioceses,  and  also  chron¬ 
icled  the  passing  of  one  or  more  of  the  great  bishops  who  had 
guided  previous  assemblies  of  the  hierarchy.  One  figure  was 
missing  from  among  the  sixteen  prelates  who  met  at  Baltimore 
on  May  13,  1843,  for  the  Fifth  Provincial  Council.  Upon  no  prel¬ 
ate  in  the  score  of  years  that  had  passed  since  his  consecration 
in  1820,  did  the  American  hierarchy  depend  so  much  in  its  de¬ 
liberations  as  upon  John  England,  Bishop  of  Charleston,  who 
died  on  April  11,  1842.  His  was  the  dominating  influence  and 
the  guiding  spirit  of  the  first  four  Provincial  Councils,  and  his 
death  left  a  vacancy  in  the  ranks  which  was  never  filled.  While 
no  mention  is  made  regarding  the  authorship  of  the  Pastorals 
of  1833,  1837,  and  1840,  they  are  so  similar  to  his  nervous  and 
manly  style  that  we  may  not  be  wrong  in  attributing  them  to 
his  pen.  The  short  Pastoral  of  1843,  which  follows,  is 
different  in  tone  and  in  the  range  of  its  subjects.  There  is 
absent  from  its  pages  any  forewarning  of  the  terrible  outbreak 
against  the  Catholic  faith  which  was  to  occur  the  following 
spring.  Rather  do  the  prelates  appear  to  ignore  the  signs  of 
the  coming  storm,  and  to  confine  themselves  to  the  questions  of 
education,  temperance  and  divorce,  with  a  passing  reference 
to  the  Oxford  Movement. 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1843 

(Fifth  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore) 

Venerable  Brethren  of  the  Clergy  and  Beloved  Brethren  of 
the  Laity:  Grace  to  you,  and  peace  from  God  our 
Father ,  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

ENCOURAGED  by  the  assurance  of  our  Divine  Redeemer: 

“Where  there  are  two  or  three  gathered  together  in  my 
name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them we  have  assembled  in 
council,  according  to  the  most  ancient  practice  of  the 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1843 


151 


Church,  and  having  humbly  invoked  the  Holy  Ghost,  we 
have  deliberated  on  various  matters  appertaining  to  the 
good  order  of  ecclesiastical  affairs,  and  the  advancement 
of  piety.  Before  separating  we  feel  impelled  to  address 
you,  with  a  view  to  impart  to  you  some  spiritual  grace  to 
strengthen  you,  and  stir  you  up  by  admonition  to  labour  the 
more,  that  by  good  works  you  may  make  sure  your  voca¬ 
tion  and  election.  We  can  add  nothing  to  the  divine  de¬ 
posit  of  revelation  committed  to  the  special  guardianship 
of  Peter  and  the  other  apostles,  and  preserved  in  the  Church 
of  God,  which  is  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth;  nor  dare 
we  take  away  an  iota  from  it;  but  it  is  our  duty  to  exhort 
you  to  stand  fast  in  faith,  and  to  beware,  lest,  being  led 
away  from  the  error  of  the  unwise,  you  fall  from  your  own 
steadfastness.  God  requires  you  to  captivate  every  under¬ 
standing  in  obedience  to  Christ,  and  not  to  be  more  wise 
than  it  behoveth  to  be  wise;  but  to  be  wise  to  sobriety.  The 
pride  of  man  is  always  ready  to  revolt  against  the  truth  of 
God.  Confidence  in  the  strength  of  our  intellectual  facul¬ 
ties,  leads  us  to  scan  the  depths  of  heavenly  mysteries,  and 
investigate  the  works  of  God;  but  he  that  is  a  searcher  of 
majesty,  shall  be  overwhelmed  with  glory.  The  homage  of 
humble  faith  is  required  of  us,  when  evidence  is  presented 
of  the  fact  of  divine  revelation,  and  we  must  adore  all  that 
God  reveals,  however  it  surpass  our  comprehension.  Of 
all  the  errors  that  assail  divine  truth,  the  most  dangerous, 
because  the  most  insidious,  is  that  which  appears  to  respect 
it,  while  it  holds  it  in  question,  as  if  it  were  impossible  to 
ascertain  it  with  certainty.  It  were  unworthy  of  God  to 
have  made  a  revelation,  and  left  it  without  such  marks  of 
its  origin  as  would  satisfy  the  sincere  enquirer,  acting  under 
divine  influence;  and  it  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  we  can 
with  impunity  reject  any  thing  of  which  we  have  evi¬ 
dence  that  God  is  its  author.  There  is  one  Lord,  one  faith, 
one  baptism.  Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God. 
Beware  then,  brethren,  of  preferring  in  the  least  point  the 
dictates  of  your  erring  reason  to  the  truth,  wisdom,  and  au¬ 
thority  of  the  Most  High. 

It  is  your  duty  to  make  public  profession  of  the  faith 
whenever  the  divine  honor,  or  the  edification  of  your 


152  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

neighbor  is  in  question,  for  “with  the  heart  we  believe  unto 
justice,  but  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  sal¬ 
vation.”  Public  worship  and  private  de- 
Profession  votion  must  be  regulated  by  the  revealed 
of  the  Faith,  law  of  God,  as  declared  by  his  Church;  for 
^  God  must  be  worshipped  in  spirit  and  in 
truth.  You  should,  therefore,  never  make  acts  of  religion 
mere  matters  of  courtesy,  wherein  the  good  pleasure  of  your 
fellow-men  might  be  regarded  rather  than  the  sovereign 
will  of  God.  It  is  on  this  account,  and  to  avoid  all  partici¬ 
pation  in  error,  that  the  Church  commands  her  children 
not  to  communicate  in  spiritual  things  with  those  who  are 
out  of  her  fold.  It  has  nevertheless  come  to  our  knowledge, 
that  the  consciences  of  many  in  dependent  situations  are 
aggrieved  by  vexatious  measures  adopted  to  coerce  them 
into  conformity,  under  the  penalty  of  wanting  bread,  and 
that  in  various  public  institutions  attendance  at  Protestant 
worship  is  in  many  instances  exacted  of  Catholics,  notwith¬ 
standing  the  liberty  of  conscience  which  is  guaranteed  by 
the  constitution  to  all  citizens.  We  are  aware  that  mere 
considerations  of  order  have  induced  this  custom,  but  as  it 
is  repugnant  to  the  genius  of  our  institutions,  as  well  as  to 
the  spirit  of  our  religion,  we  trust  that  the  proper  authori¬ 
ties,  on  respectful  remonstrance,  will  afford  relief  to  af¬ 
flicted  consciences. 

The  transmission  of  faith  to  their  children  was  a  special 
object  of  the  solicitude  of  our  fathers:  for  which  they 

thought  no  sacrifice  too  great.  It  must  be 
Instruction  of  your  care,  brethren,  to  let  the  precious  in- 
the  Young.  heritance  descend  without  diminution. 

You  must,  therefore,  use  all  diligence  that 
your  children  be  instructed  at  an  early  age  in  the  saving 
truths  of  religion,  and  be  preserved  from  the  contagion  of 
error.  We  have  seen  with  serious  alarm,  efforts  made  to 
poison  the  fountains  of  public  education,  by  giving  it  a  sec¬ 
tarian  hue,  and  accustoming  children  to  the  use  of  a  ver¬ 
sion  of  the  Bible  made  under  sectarian  bias,  and  placing  in 
their  hands  books  of  various  kinds  replete  with  offensive 
and  dangerous  matter.  This  is  plainly  opposed  to  the  free 
genius  of  our  civil  institutions.  We  admonish  parents  of 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1843 


153 


the  awful  account  they  must  give  at  the  divine  tribunal, 
should  their  children,  by  their  neglect  or  connivance,  be 
imbued  with  false  principles,  and  led  away  from  the  path 
of  salvation.  Parents  are  strictly  bound,  like  faithful  Abra¬ 
ham,  to  teach  their  children  the  truths  which  God  has  re¬ 
vealed;  and  if  they  suffer  them  to  be  led  astray,  the  souls 
of  the  children  will  be  required  at  their  hands.  Let  them, 
therefore,  avail  themselves  of  their  natural  rights,  guaran¬ 
teed  by  the  laws,  and  see  that  no  interference  with  the 
faith  of  their  children  be  used  in  the  public  schools,  and  no 
attempt  made  to  induce  conformity  in  any  thing  contrary 
to  the  laws  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

We  would  have  you,  brethren,  most  condescending  in 
every  thing  that  principle  and  duty  will  allow,  in  order  the 
more  effectually  to  cement  together,  and 
unite  all  classes  of  citizens  in  mutual  affec-  Secret 
tion.  Yet  we  cannot  dissemble  that  faith  Societies, 
and  morals  are  exposed  and  endangered 
by  objectionable  associations.  All  societies  are  to  be 
shunned  by  whatsoever  name  they  may  be  called,  the  ob¬ 
jects  whereof  are  not  distinctly  declared,  and  wherein  the 
solemnity  of  an  oath,  or  any  corresponding  engagement,  is 
employed  to  veil  the  ends  of  the  association,  or  its  proceed¬ 
ings,  from  the  public  eye.  It  is  plainly  a  rash  use  of  the 
name  of  God,  where  the  object  for  which  it  is  employed  is 
not  distinctly  understood:  and  since  all  just  objects  may  be 
openly  avowed  and  pursued,  the  mantle  of  secrecy  is  need¬ 
lessly  thrown  around  them.  We  would  not  judge  unkindly 
of  any  body  of  men,  or  of  any  individuals,  professing  to 
have  in  view  objects  of  philanthropy  and  mutual  aid;  but 
we  cannot  conceal  our  apprehensions  that  by  assuming 
mere  natural  principles  as  their  guide,  they  insensibly  pre¬ 
pare  themselves  for  discarding  revealed  religion,  so  that 
some  find  themselves  divested  of  faith,  before  they  are  con¬ 
scious  of  the  tendency  and  influence  of  the  society  with 
which  they  have  connected  themselves.  We,  therefore,  feel 
ourselves  bound  to  renew  thus  solemnly  our  admonitions 
to  all  who  claim  to  be  members  of  the  Church,  and  to  re¬ 
mind  them  of  the  several  decrees  of  the  sovereign  pontiffs 
in  regard  to  secret  societies,  and  to  declare  anew  that  sacra- 


154  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

mental  absolution  cannot  be  lawfully  or  validly  imparted 
to  persons  continuing  to  profess  themselves  members  of 
such  societies.  We  conjure  all  our  children  in  Christ  by  his 
tender  mercies,  to  shun  all  such  associations,  and  through 
no  consideration  of  interest  or  fear,  to  continue  in  a  con¬ 
nexion  so  opposed  to  the  positive  laws  of  the  Church,  and 
so  dangerous  to  the  integrity  of  faith.  The  privileges  of 
membership  in  the  great  society  of  the  faithful  are  granted 
on  condition  of  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  Church;  and 
are  forfeited  when  acts  are  done  to  wThich  the  penalty  of 
privation  is  attached. 

In  calling  on  you  brethren,  to  avoid  these  dangerous  as¬ 
sociations,  we  mean  not  to  weaken,  but  rather  to  strengthen 

your  social  relations  to  your  fellow-citizens 

The  Claims  generally.  No  difference  of  religious  senti- 

of  Charity.  ment  varies  the  eternal  rules  of  justice: 

no  errors,  or  even  crimes,  deprive  any  one 
of  his  claims  on  your  charity,  in  virtue  of  the  law  of  Him 
who  said:  “love  your  enemies;  do  good  to  them  that  hate 
you;  bless  them  that  curse  you,  and  pray  for  them  that  per¬ 
secute  and  calumniate  you.”  “If  it  be  possible,”  says  the 
apostle,  “as  much  as  in  you  lies,  have  peace  with  all  men.” 
“Do  good  to  all  men,”  and  if  especially  to  those  who  are  of 
the  household  of  the  faith,  yet  to  others  likewise,  with  sin¬ 
cere,  effectual  beneficence.  To  you  we  trust  for  the  prac¬ 
tical  refutation  of  all  those  atrocious  calumnies  which  de¬ 
luded  men,  severally  or  in  odious  combinations,  constantly 
circulate  by  every  possible  means  against  our  holy  religion. 
Your  strict  integrity  in  the  daily  concerns  of  life,  your 
fidelity  in  the  fulfilment  of  all  engagements,  your  peaceful 
demeanour,  your  obedience  to  the  laws,  your  respect  for  the 
public  functionaries,  your  unaffected  exercise  of  charity 
in  the  many  occasions  which  the  miseries  and  sufferings 
of  our  fellow-men  present;  in  fine,  your  sincere  virtue  will 
confound  those  vain  men  whose  ingenuity  and  industry  are 
exerted  to  cast  suspicion  on  our  principles,  and  evoke 
against  us  all  the  worst  passions  of  human  nature.  Let 
then,  your  entire  deportment  be  good,  “that  whereas  they 
speak  against  you  as  evil  doers,  considering  you  by  your 
good  works,  they  may  glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1843 


155 


For  so  is  the  will  of  God,  that  by  doing  well  you  may  put 
to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men.”  Whilst  you  justly 
prize  the  civil  rights  which  you  enjoy  in  common  with 
your  fellow-citizens,  be  mindful  of  the  allegiance  which 
you  owe  to  the  King  of  kings  and  the  Lord  of  lords.  Give 
to  God  what  belongs  to  God,  the  homage  of  enlightened 
faith  and  the  cheerful  obedience  of  your  wills.  “As  free, 
and  not  as  making  liberty  a  cloak  of  malice,  but  as  the  ser¬ 
vants  of  God.”1 

The  enormous  evils  of  intemperance,  which  no  tongue 
can  portray,  have  given  occasion  to  the  adoption  of  a  rem¬ 
edy  apparently  extreme.  Millions  in  Ire¬ 
land,  and  many  thousands  in  this  country  The  Evils  of 
have  publicly  pledged  themselves  to  ab-  Intemperance, 
stain  from  the  use  of  all  intoxicating 
liquors.  We  cannot  but  approve  the  determination  thus 
taken  by  such  as  have  had  the  misfortune  to  contract  this 
dreadful  vice;  for  we  have  rarely  seen  the  drunkard  re¬ 
claimed,  except  by  the  total  abandonment  of  the  occasion 
of  his  sin :  we  also  highly  applaud  the  generous  charity  and 
zeal  of  such,  as  through  compassion  for  the  unfortunate 
have  stept  forward  to  share  with  them  the  privation,  but  we 
deem  it  right  to  guard  against  the  possible  abuse  of  so  ex¬ 
cellent  an  institution.  It  must  be  distinctly  understood 
and  avowed  that  the  moderate  use  of  wine,  or  any  other 
liquor  is  of  itself  perfectly  lawful,  since  “every  creature  of 
God  is  good,  and  nothing  is  to  be  rejected  which  is  received 
with  thanksgiving,  for  it  is  sanctified  by  the  word  of  God 
and  prayer.”2  It  would  not  be  advisable  to  impose  or  to 
assume  generally  the  obligation  of  total  abstinence,  since, 
considering  human  frailty,  it  might  become  a  snare  of  souls, 
and  change  a  lawful  act  into  sin,  and  add  to  the  sting  of 
conscience  the  terror  of  despair.  We  will,  therefore,  that 
the  pledge  usually  made  be  regarded  as  a  resolution,  which 
whilst  it  affords  to  those  who  take  it  the  advantages  of 
mutual  examples  and  prayers,  imposes  no  new  moral  obli¬ 
gation,  so  that  the  person  who  should  fail  in  its  observance, 
sins  only  by  excess,  or  by  exposing  himself  to  danger  in 
consequence  of  his  peculiar  frailty.  Let  each  one  at  the 


i  1  Peter  li.  16. 


2  1  Tim.  iv.  4. 


156  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

same  time  remember  that  it  is  only  through  the  grace  of 
Jesus  Christ  that  we  can  effectually  overcome  temptation 
and  practice  virtue  unto  salvation.  “Unless  the  Lord  build 
the  house  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it:  unless  the  Lord 
keep  the  city  he  watcheth  in  vain  that  keepeth  it.”3  Let  no 
man  presume  on  the  strength  of  his  determination,  or  on  the 
restraining  influence  of  public  opinion.  The  torrent  of  pas¬ 
sion  easily  sweeps  away  these  human  barriers.  Prayer,  vigi¬ 
lance,  the  reception  of  the  sacraments,  the  flight  from  the 
occasions  of  sin  are  necessary  in  order  to  give  effect  to  our 
good  purposes,  which  themselves  must  proceed  from  the 
inspiration  of  divine  grace,  for  “we  are  not  sufficient  to 
think  any  thing  of  ourselves,  as  of  ourselves,  but  our  suffi¬ 
ciency  is  from  God.”4  It  is  on  this  account  we  warn  you 
against  uniting  in  societies  not  based  on  religious  principles, 
nor  directed  by  the  ecclesiastical  authority,  or  otherwise 
organised  in  such  a  way  as  may  suppose  mere  human  in¬ 
fluences  and  means. 

These  things,  beloved  brethren,  we  have  thought  neces¬ 
sary  to  place  before  you  that  you  may  proceed  in  all  things 
with  enlightened  faith,  and  trusting  in  God  who  strengthens 
the  humble,  resist  with  untiring  efforts  every  temptation. 
“And  that  knowing  the  time:  that  is  now  the  hour  for  us  to 
rise  from  sleep;  for  now  our  salvation  is  nearer  than  we  be¬ 
lieved.  The  night  is  passed,  and  the  day  is  at  hand.  Let 
us,  therefore,  cast  off  the  works  of  darkness,  and  put  on 
the  armor  of  light.  Let  us  walk  honestly  as  in  the  day;  not 
in  rioting  and  drunkenness,  not  in  chambering  and  impuri¬ 
ties,  not  in  contention  and  envy.  But  put  ye  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  make  not  provision  for  the  flesh  in  its 
concupiscences.”5 

We  deplore  the  enormous  scandal  of  some  who,  having 
already  contracted  marriage,  enter  into  new  engagements 

during  the  life  time  of  their  lawful  con- 
Divorce.  sorts.  Others,  though  few  in  number,  have 
sought  from  the  civil  authority  a  divorce 
from  the  bond  of  matrimony,  and  have  ventured  to  pass 
to  a  second  marriage,  notwithstanding  the  indissoluble 
character  of  the  marriage-tie, — God  having  prohibited  the 

3  Psalm  cxxvl.  4  2  Cor.  ill.  5.  5  Rom.  xili.  11. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1843 


157 


separation  of  those  whom  he  has  united.  We  are  deter¬ 
mined  to  employ  the  severest  authority  of  the  Church 
against  persons  guilty  of  so  heinous  a  crime,  and  to  cut 
them  off  from  her  communion,  delivering  them  over  to 
Satan,  that  by  humiliation  in  time,  their  spirit  may  be  saved 
in  the  day  of  Christ. 

We  give  thanks  to  God  for  the  wonderful  blessing  which 
he  has  vouchsafed  to  his  Church  in  these  United  States, 
where  within  half  a  century  the  number  of 
bishops  has  increased  from  one  to  seven-  Obedience 
teen,  and  the  faithful  are  daily  seen  to  ad-  to  Church 
vance  in  piety  as  well  as  numbers.  One  or  Authority, 
two  painful  instances  of  insubordination 
to  ecclesiastical  authority,  which  have  recently  occurred, 
are  exceptions  to  the  general  docility  and  obedience  of  our 
flock;  and  we  trust  that  the  parties  concerned  will  use  all 
their  efforts,  by  affectionate  submission,  to  cause  the  scan¬ 
dal  of  resistance  to  be  forgotten.  Our  power  is  given  us 
by  the  Lord  for  edification,  not  for  destruction;  we  lord  it 
not  over  you,  by  reason  of  your  faith;  we  seek  your  salva¬ 
tion,  not  the  display  of  authority.  The  deluded  men  who 
occasionally  resist  the  divine  ordinance,  and  violate  the 
order  which  God  has  established,  disturb  the  peace  of  the 
faithful,  and  spread  scandal  and  disorder,  under  the  pre¬ 
text  of  defending  popular  rights,  whilst  in  reality  they  de¬ 
prive  the  faithful  of  those  spiritual  privileges  which  are 
their  most  precious  inheritance.  It  has  been  already  de¬ 
clared  and  defined,  in  the  first  provincial  council,  that 
the  appointment  and  removal  of  pastors  are  the  rightful 
prerogative  of  the  bishop,  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  con¬ 
gregation  to  make  a  reasonable  and  just  provision  for  the 
support  of  the  pastor  so  appointed;  the  resistance  to  which 
right  would  force  the  bishop  to  a  severe  exercise  of  the 
ecclesiastical  authority. 

We  cannot  withhold  the  expression  of  our  consolation 
at  the  success  which  has  crowned  the  apostolic  labors  of 
missionaries  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  the  vast  regions  oc¬ 
cupied  by  Indian  tribes,  especially  in  the  Oregon  territory 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  With  zeal  worthy  of  the 
brightest  ages  of  the  Church,  they  have  gone  to  those  chil- 


158  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

dren  of  nature  to  civilize  them,  and  impart  to  them  the 
knowledge  of  salvation,  and  God  has  confirmed  their  word, 

and  made  it  fruitful.  “How  beautiful  upon 
Indian  and  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that 
Liberian  bringeth  good  tidings  and  that  preacheth 
Missions.  peace:  of  him  that  showeth  forth  good,  that 
preacheth  salvation,  that  saith  to  Sion :  Thy 
God  shall  reign.  The  voice  of  thy  watchmen:  they  have 
lifted  up  their  voice,  they  shall  praise  together:  for  they  shall 
see  eye  to  eye  when  the  Lord  shall  convert  Sion.  Rejoice  and 
give  praise  together,  O  ye  deserts  of  Jerusalem:  for  the  Lord 
hath  comforted  his  people:  he  hath  redeemed  Jerusalem. 
The  Lord  hath  prepared  his  holy  arm  in  the  sight  of  all  the 
Gentiles:  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  salvation 
of  our  God.”6  Whilst  the  sons  of  Ignatius  emulate  the 
apostolic  labors  of  Xavier,  two  devoted  ecclesiastics  from 
two  of  our  diocesses,  have  generously  consecrated  them¬ 
selves  to  the  salvation  of  the  colored  emigrants  from  the 
United  States  in  Africa  and  the  natives  of  Western  Africa. 
Foregoing  all  the  comforts  of  civilized  life,  they  have  reso¬ 
lutely  encountered  all  the  difficulties  of  an  undertaking  that 
presents  no  flattering  prospects  of  success.  Pressed  for¬ 
ward  by  the  charity  of  Christ,  they  only  considered  the  de¬ 
graded  condition  of  man  in  the  country  marked  out  for 
their  labors,  and  they  hasten  to  afford  him  the  succors  of 
religion,  content  with  whatever  measure  of  success  it  may 
please  God  to  grant  to  their  efforts.  Let  us  pray,  beloved 
brethren,  that  a  blessing  may  be  given  to  the  apostolic  prel¬ 
ate  now  charged  with  this  mission,  and  the  faithful  band  as¬ 
sociated  with  him  in  the  arduous  undertaking.  Your  pray¬ 
ers  should  ascend  to  God  for  this  end,  and  your  alms  can¬ 
not  be  better  applied,  than  in  enabling  ministers  of  religion 
to  meet  the  heavy  expenses  of  their  journeys  and  mission¬ 
ary  establishments  among  the  Indians  and  Africans.  We 
recommend  both  missions  to  your  generous  charity  and 
zeal. 

Whilst  we  exhort  you  to  extend  your  charity  to  the  dis¬ 
tant  children  of  our  common  Father,  we  would  not  have 
you  neglect  more  immediate  objects.  It  is  by  placing  the 


0  Isa.  111.  7. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1843 


159 


ecclesiastical  institutions  in  the  respective  diocesses  on  solid 
foundations,  that  you  will  secure  for  yourselves  and  your 
children  the  perpetuity  of  the  blessings 
wherewith  it  has  pleased  God  to  enrich  Supporting 
you  in  Christ  Jesus.  Those  to  whom  the  Catholic 
wealth  of  this  world  has  been  given,  can-  Institutions, 
not  better  employ  a  portion  of  it  than  in 
providing  for  the  education  of  ministers  of  the  altar.  We 
are  far,  however,  from  meaning  to  undervalue  the  offerings 
which  faith  may  inspire  for  the  erection  of  temples  to  the 
glory  of  God,  or  charity  may  present  for  the  clothing  and 
maintenance  of  the  orphan.  We  exhort  you,  brethren,  to 
follow  the  impulse  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  various  good 
works  for  which  your  charitable  co-operation  is  solicited, 
and  to  remember  in  the  day  of  your  abundance,  that  what¬ 
ever  you  set  apart  to  the  glory  of  God,  in  the  exercise  of 
charity,  is  so  much  secured  against  the  caprice  of  fortune. 
Be  not  then  high-minded,  nor  hope  in  uncertain  riches,  but 
in  the  living  God  (who  giveth  us  abundantly  all  things  to 
enjoy;)  do  good;  be  rich  in  good  works;  distribute  readily; 
communicate;  lay  up  in  store  for  yourselves  a  good  founda¬ 
tion  against  the  time  to  come,  that  you  may  obtain  true 
life. 

We  cannot  conclude  without  expressing  our  gratitude 
to  God  for  the  admirable  change  which  his  grace  has 
wrought  in  the  minds  of  many  in  England, 
and  the  effects  whereof  are  seen  even  in  The  Oxford 
this  country.  We  are  not  disposed  to  ex-  Movement, 
aggerate  this  moral  revolution,  or  to  form 
sanguine  calculations  as  to  its  immediate  results.  It  is  not 
for  us  to  know  the  times  or  the  moments  which  the  Father 
has  placed  in  his  own  power,  but  we  love  to  hope  that  the 
days  of  perfect  unity  may  not  be  far  distant,  when  the  na¬ 
tions  whom  the  violent  passions  of  men  have  torn  from  the 
bosom  of  the  Church,  will  return  repentant,  saying  to  each 
other:  “Come  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord, 
and  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob,  and  he  will  teach  us 
his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths.”7  At  all  events  it 
is  our  duty  to  pray  for  so  desirable  an  object,  conformably 


7  Isaiah  11.  3. 


160  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

to  the  example  of  our  divine  Redeemer,  who  at  his  last 
supper  prayed  that  all  who  believe  in  him  might  be  one, 
even  as  He  and  the  Father  are  one.  Brethren,  if  you  ask  the 
Father  anything  in  his  name,  he  will  give  it  you.  “If  two 
or  three  of  you  agree  together  on  earth  concerning  anything 
whatsoever,  it  shall  be  granted  you.”  How  much  more, 
then,  if  from  the  two  hemispheres  the  supplications  of  fer¬ 
vent  faith  and  charity  ascend  from  innumerable  multitudes, 
to  obtain  light  for  those  who  wander  amidst  errors,  that 
they  may  see  the  whole  truth,  and  courage  that  they  may 
confess  it,  that  with  one  mind  and  with  one  mouth  they 
may  with  us  glorify  God  and  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

“We  beseech  you,  brethren,  rebuke  the  unquiet;  comfort 
the  feeble-minded;  support  thq  weak;  be  patient  towards 
all  men.  See  that  none  render  evil  for  evil  to  any  one;  but 
always  follow  that  which  is  good  towards  each  other,  and 
towards  all  men.”  “The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
be  with  you.  Amen.” 

Given  at  Baltimore,  in  the  fifth  Provincial  Council,  on  the 
fifth  Sunday  after  Easter,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord, 
MDCCCXLUL 

■FSamuel,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

•^Benedict  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Boston. 

FMichael,  Bishop  of  Mobile. 

FFrancis  Patrick,  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 

John  Baptist,  Bishop  of  Cincinnati. 

FGuy  Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Bolena,  and  Coadjutor  of 
the  Bishop  of  Louisville. 

•F  Anthony,  Bishop  of  New  Orleans. 

FMathias,  Bishop  of  Dubuque. 

•FJohn,  Bishop  of  New  York. 

■FRichard  Pius,  Bishop  of  Nashville. 

■FCelestin,  Bishop  of  Vincennes. 

•FJohn  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Natchez. 

■FRichard  Vincent,  Bishop  of  Richmond. 

■FPeter  Paul,  Bishop  of  Zela ,  and  Administrator  of  the 
Diocess  of  Detroit. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1843 


161 


•F  Peter  Richard,  Bishop  of  Drasis,  and  Coadjutor  of 
the  Bishop  of  St.  Louis. 

•FJohn  M.,  Bishop  of  Claudiopolis,  and  Vicar  Apostolic 
of  Texas. 

Richard  S.  Baker,  Administrator  of  the  Diocese  of 
Charleston. 

The  year  after  the  Council  of  1843  “is  written  black  in  the 
history  of  Philadelphia,  because  of  the  un-American  and  un- 
Christian  scenes  of  violence  that  disgraced  the  traditions  of  the 
City  of  Brotherly  Love.”  Though  forgotten  now,  the  Pastoral 
Letter  to  the  Clergy  and  the  members  of  the  Protestant  Epis¬ 
copal  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America  (Phila.,  Oct., 
1844),  not  only  failed  to  deplore  the  terrible  outrages  which  took 
place  in  May  and  July,  1844,  but  apparently  justified  them. 
Only  the  courage  of  the  man  and  the  prelate  who,  from  this 
time  on  to  the  Civil  War,  became  the  most  potent  force  in  the 
American  Church,  John  Hughes,  Archbishop  of  New  York, 
saved  the  honour  of  the  nation  from  similar  outbreaks  in  other 
cities.  The  unspeakable  calumnies  of  Bishop  Breckinridge,  of 
Maryland,  in  his  Papism  in  the  Nineteenth  Century  in  the  United 
States,  were  penned  for  one  purpose — the  destruction  of  the 
Catholic  Church  in  the  nation.  In  all  Christian  charity,  how¬ 
ever,  the  Fathers  of  the  next  Council,  which  met  at  Baltimore  on 
May  9,  1846,  deemed  it  best  to  pass  over  the  Native  Americanism 
of  the  period  in  silence. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1846 

THE  war  with  Mexico  was  beginning  while  the  Fathers 
penned  this  short  Pastoral  (May,  1846).  The  Sixth  Pro¬ 
vincial  Council  was  an  important  assembly  of  the  American 
hierarchy,  not  only  on  account  of  the  number  and  prestige  of 
the  bishops  who  were  in  attendance,  but  for  the  fact  that  among 
its  enactments  was  one  decreeing  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary, 
under  the  title  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  was  henceforth 
the  Patroness  of  the  Church  in  the  United  States. 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1846 

( Sixth  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore) 

The  Archbishop  and  Bishops  of  the  United  States  to  the 
Clergy  and  Faithful  of  their  charge:  Grace  to  you,  and 
Peace  from  God  our  Father,  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

ASSEMBLED  together  in  Council,  by  the  merciful  per¬ 
mission  of  God,  we  have  endeavored,  by  united  prayer 
and  mutual  consultation,  to  obtain  the  necessary  light  for 
the  promotion  of  the  important  interests  confided  to  our 
care.  From  the  harmony  which  prevailed  in  our  delibera¬ 
tions,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  Christ,  according  to 
his  promise,  was  in  the  midst  of  us,  directing  us  by  his 
truth,  and  animating  us  by  his  Spirit.  After  consultation 
with  our  brethren  of  the  second  order  of  the  clergy,  we 
have  adopted  some  regulations  for  your  spiritual  advan¬ 
tage  which,  when  approved  of  by  our  venerable  Chief,  the 
successor  of  Peter,  to  whose  examination  and  correction, 
according  to  ancient  custom,  we  have  submitted  them, 
we  shall  make  known  to  you,  fully  confident  that  you  will 
embrace  them  with  docility,  and,  emulating  the  example 
of  the  first  believers,  receive  our  decrees  with  the  reverence 
with  which  they  regarded  the  precepts  of  the  apostles  and 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1846 


163 


ancients,  delivered  in  the  council  of  Jerusalem.  We  bear 
willing  testimony  to  your  faith  and  piety,  and  we  feel  con¬ 
fident  that  you  will  testify  that  the  exercise  of  our  authority 
over  you  has  not  been  in  a  spirit  of  domination,  as  if  we 
lorded  it  over  you,  on  account  of  your  faith;  but  that  we 
have  had  solely  in  view  the  salvation  of  your  souls.  To  aid 
in  the  accomplishment  of  this  end,  we  will  willingly  spend, 
and  be  ourselves  spent  over  and  above;  and,  carefully 
avoiding  whatever  might  prove  a  hindrance  to  the  progress 
of  the  gospel,  we  will  endeavor  to  be  your  pattern  from  the 
heart,  that  we  may  please  the  Prince  of  Pastors,  and  ob¬ 
tain  from  his  hands  a  glorious  and  unfading  crown. 

We  have  abundant  motives  for  devout  thanksgiving  in 
the  steady  progress  of  our  holy  religion,  which  daily  gains 
the  homage  of  the  intelligent  and  learned, 
as  well  as  of  the  lowly  and  poor,  whom  God  Progress  of 
has  specially  chosen,  rich  in  faith.  The  the  Faith, 
return  of  so  many  distinguished  individ¬ 
uals  in  England  to  the  Catholic  communion,  from  which 
that  illustrious  nation  was  torn  by  the  strong  arm  of  the 
civil  power,  has  filled  us  with  joy,  since  all  the  portions 
of  the  church  must  rejoice  in  her  triumphs,  as  they  sym¬ 
pathize  in  her  afflictions.  Their  example  should  have  con¬ 
siderable  influence  on  all  who  feel  themselves  inclined  to  re¬ 
examine  the  cause  of  separation  and  to  embrace  unity,  whose 
importance  and  value  become  daily  more  obvious  even  to 
those  who  are  withheld.  Conflicts  in  doctrine  among  the  pro¬ 
fessors  of  Christianity  are  calculated  to  afford  a  triumph  to 
the  unbeliever,  who  sets  no  value  on  a  revelation  which  ap¬ 
pears  to  him  uncertain  and  contradictory  whilst  they  scan¬ 
dalize  and  confound  the  unlearned,  who  abandon  the  in¬ 
quiry  after  truth,  in  despair  of  ascertaining  it  with  cer¬ 
tainty.  Hence  the  claims  of  the  church  to  our  assent  are 
strengthened  in  the  minds  of  serious  and  reflecting  men, 
who  are  struck  with  the  unchangeable  character  of  her 
teaching,  the  same  always,  every  where,  and  by  all.  One 
Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  is  inscribed  on  her  standard 
by  an  inspired  apostle.  As  faith  is  the  homage  of  the  hu¬ 
man  understanding  to  divine  revelation,  it  can  admit  of 
no  doctrinal  diversity,  since  God  has  not  revealed  contradic- 


164  The  Pastoral  of^the  American  Hierarchy 

tions,  and  his  wisdom  must  have  devised  a  sure  means  for 
ascertaining  the  truths  which  he  has  revealed. 

After  three  centuries  of  contention  the  human  mind, 
weary  of  doubt  and  unbelief,  seems  eager  to  repose  on  that 

authority  whose  support  it  once  proudly 
The  Oxford  rejected,  in  the  confidence  of  its  own 
Movement.  strength.  The  great  Augustin,  whose  sub¬ 
lime  genius,  great  learning,  and  exalted 
piety,  have  gained  the  admiration  of  the  Christian  world, 
commended  authority  as  the  compendious  and  easy  way 
to  truth;1  and  after  wandering  through  the  mazes  of  error, 
under  the  delusive  hope  of  discovering  the  reason  and  evi¬ 
dence  of  all  things,  he  found  himself  obliged  to  rest  his 
belief  in  the  revealed  truths  on  the  authority  of  the  Catholic 
church.  Many  persons,  highly  distinguished  for  talent  and 
learning,  have  recently  followed  his  example.  The  process 
to  which  the  doctrines  of  religion  have  been  subjected  by 
the  skeptical  spirit  of  the  sixteenth  century,  has  resulted 
in  the  successive  abandonment  of  one  doctrine  after  an¬ 
other  by  professed  believers  in  the  Gospel,  until  scarcely 
any  thing  of  the  deposit  of  revelation  remains  uncontro¬ 
verted.  In  the  name  of  the  divine  Scriptures,  every  mystery 
has  been  assailed,  as  if  it  were  allowable  to  deny  all  they 
contain,  provided  respect  be  professed  for  the  sacred 
oracles  themselves.  But  the  Providence  of  God  has  at  length 
brought  about  another  result  from  the  bold  scrutiny  into 
things  divine,  which  the  pride  of  man  thus  attempted.  Many 
sincere  inquirers  have  acknowledged  the  Catholic  doctrines, 
of  which  they  found  evidence  in  the  Scriptures,  as  well  as 
in  the  writings  of  the  ancient  fathers.  Some  have  embraced 
the  whole  body  of  Catholic  truth,  as  propounded  and  de¬ 
fined  in  the  holy  Council  of  Trent,  who  nevertheless  remain 
outside  the  church,  fondly  clinging  to  local  institutions,  or 
cherishing  the  fallacious  hope  that  they  may,  without  peril 
to  their  souls,  remain  in  a  position  which  was  not  originally 
of  their  own  choosing.  The  profession  of  Catholic  doctrine 
can  not,  it  is  obvious,  avail  them  whilst  they  remain  sep¬ 
arated  from  the  church  of  Christ,  and  from  the  pastor  to 


i  De  quantity  animae,  c.  vii.  n.  12. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1846 


165 


whom  he  entrusted  his  lambs  and  sheep,  that  is,  his  whole 
flock,  that  there  might  be  one  fold  and  one  shepherd. 

Brethren,  we  would  wish  to  excite  your  charity  for  those 
who,  whilst  struggling  forward  towards  truth  and  unity, 
are  drawn  back  by  the  interests  of  this  world,  and  love  the 
glory  of  men,  rather  than  the  glory  of  God.  It  is  no  easy 
matter  to  be  disabused  of  all  the  prejudices  of  education; 
but  it  is  still  more  difficult  to  go  forth  from  one’s  kindred  to 
the  mountain  to  which  the  Lord  points,  there  to  glorify  him 
by  obedience  and  sacrifice.  You  should  pray  that  light  and 
grace  may  be  given  them,  that  others,  encouraged  by  their 
example,  may  follow  into  the  temple  of  the  heavenly  King, 
to  give  him  the  homage  which  he  demands.  To  the  pray¬ 
ers  offered  up  in  the  various  places  for  those  separated 
from  the  unity  of  the  church,  we  may  principally  ascribe 
the  extraordinary  change  effected  in  so  many  learned  pro¬ 
fessors,  who  from  teachers  of  error  have  become  disciples  of . 
truth;  in  so  many  ministers,  who  have  left  the  place  of 
honor  in  which  they  stood,  to  mingle  with  the  undistin¬ 
guished  crowd  of  devout  worshippers.  All  things  are  prom¬ 
ised  to  prayer.  If  the  petition  of  two  or  three,  who  agree 
on  any  thing,  finds  acceptance  with  the  Father,  when  offered 
in  the  name  of  his  beloved  Son,  what  may  we  not  hope  for 
when  thousands  and  millions  unite  in  supplication  for  that 
which  was  the  object  of  the  prayer  of  Christ  on  the  night 
before  the  consummation  of  his  sacrifice  for  the  sins  of 
men?  Be  instant,  brethren,  in  prayer.  We  desire  most 
especially  that  supplications,  prayers,  intercessions,  and 
thanksgivings  be  made  for  all  men.  For  this  is  good  and 
acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God  our  Saviour,  who  will  have 
all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth. 

The  paternal  authority  of  the  chief  Bishop  is  constantly 
misrepresented  and  assailed  by  the  adversaries  of  our  holy 
religion,  especially  in  this  country,  and  is 
viewed  with  suspicion  even  by  some  who  The  Papacy, 
acknowledge  its  powerful  influence  in  pre¬ 
serving  faith  and  unity.  It  is  unnecessary  for  us  to  tell  you, 
brethren,  that  the  kingdom  of  Christ  of  which  the  Bishop 
of  Rome,  as  successor  of  Peter,  has  received  the  keys,  is  not 


166 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


of  this  world; — and  that  the  obedience  due  to  the  Vicar  of 
the  Saviour  is  in  no  way  inconsistent  with  your  civil  alle¬ 
giance,  your  social  duties  as  citizens,  or  your  rights  as  men. 
We  can  confidently  appeal  to  the  whole  tenor  of  our  in¬ 
structions,  not  only  in  our  public  addresses,  but  in  our  most 
confidential  communications;  and  you  can  bear  witness 
that  we  have  always  taught  you  to  render  to  Caesar  the 
things  that  are  Caesar’s,  to  God  the  things  that  are  God’s. 
Be  not,  then,  heedful  of  the  misrepresentations  of  foolish 
men,  who,  unable  to  combat  the  evidences  of  our  faith,  seek 
to  excite  unjust  prejudice  against  that  authority  which  has 
always  proved  its  firmest  support.  Continue  to  practise 
justice  and  charity  towards  all  your  fellow  citizens;  respect 
the  magistrates,  observe  the  laws,  shun  tumult  and  disorder : 
as  free,  and  not  as  having  liberty  as  a  cloak  for  malice,  but 
as  the  servants  of  God.  Thus  you  will  put  to  shame  the 
calumniators  of  our  faith,  ^nd  vindicate  it  more  effectually 
than  by  any  abstract  profession  or  disclaimer.  You,  breth¬ 
ren,  have  been  called  unto  liberty:  only  make  not  lib¬ 
erty  an  occasion  to  the  flesh,  but,  by  charity  of  spirit,  serve 
one  another.  For  all  the  law  is  fulfilled  in  one  word:  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself. 

We  shall  not  attempt  distinctly  to  notice  the  various  ar¬ 
tifices  employed  to  impede  the  progress  of  our  holy  religion 
by  designing  and  interested  men:  but  we  rejoice  that  its 
truth  and  beauty  are  daily  more  manifest  to  sincere  in¬ 
quirers.  By  the  example  of  a  holy  life  and  by  prayer,  you, 
brethren,  can  effectually  promote  its  interests. 

The  zeal  of  our  brethren  in  Europe  has  given  rise  to  an 
Association  for  the  propagation  of  the  faith,  which,  origi¬ 
nating  in  Lyons,  has  spread  throughout 
The  Society  many  nations  of  Europe,  and  even  numbers 
of  the  among  its  contributors  many  in  America 
Propagation  and  remote  Asia.  The  small  donation  of  a 
of  the  Faith,  cent  a  week,  offered  by  many  millions  of 

persons,  creates  a  fund  which  supports 
missionaries  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  and  from  which 
we  ourselves  have  received,  from  time  to  time,  generous 
succors  for  various  wants  of  our  diocesses.  Although  the 
adversaries  of  the  faith  have  given  most  exaggerated  views 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1846 


167 


of  the  amount  of  this  aid,  yet  we  cheerfully  avow  our  in¬ 
debtedness  to  the  generous  charity  of  this  Association;  and 
we  hope  that  the  time  is  not  distant  when  branches  of  it 
may  be  established  extensively  in  these  United  States  to  aid 
our  struggling  brethren  in  heathen  lands,  and  thus  afford 
the  zeal  and  piety  of  our  people  an  opportunity  of  enter¬ 
ing  into  this  holy  communion  of  oblations  and  prayers, 
which  has  been  sanctioned  and  encouraged  by  the  grant 
of  indulgences  from  the  Sovereign  Pontiffs.  Whilst  we 
gratefully  acknowledge  the  aid  bestowed  on  us,  we  are 
anxious  to  share  in  the  merits  of  the  donors,  since  it  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.  France,  from  which  the  in¬ 
fidels  of  the  last  century  sought  to  root  out  Christianity,  has 
become  the  fountain  head  of  an  institution  which  spreads 
its  beneficent  streams  throughout  the  world  to  impart  fer¬ 
tility  to  distant  lands  and  to  refresh  the  pilgrim  missionary 
on  his  way.  The  blessings  which  have  descended  in  return 
on  that  kingdom  are  known  only  to  Him  who  suffers  not 
a  cup  of  cold  water,  given  in  his  name,  to  pass  without  re¬ 
ward.  We  exhort  you,  brethren,  to  continue  to  emulate  the 
zeal  and  generous  charity  of  the  members  of  this  associa¬ 
tion,  by  contributing,  according  to  the  means  which  God  has 
given  you,  to  support  the  religious  institutions  existing 
amongst  you,  and  by  responding  generously  to  the  just  calls 
of  your  prelates  and  pastors  for  their  necessary  support, 
and  for  the  various  undertakings  which  their  enlightened 
zeal  may  propose  for  the  diffusion  of  religion.  The  aid 
which  has  been  hitherto  afforded  from  abroad  may  be  at 
any  time  withdrawn.  It  is,  moreover,  altogether  inadequate 
to  our  most  pressing  wants.  On  you  it  depends  to  give, 
especially  to  those  who  labor  in  word  and  doctrine,  that 
support  which  will  leave  them  without  solicitude  for  the 
things  of  this  world,  that  they  may  wholly  apply  themselves 
to  the  exercise  of  the  holy  ministry.  We  beseech  you, 
brethren,  to  know  them  who  labor  among  you;  and  are 
over  you  in  the  Lord  and  admonish  you:  that  you  es¬ 
teem  them  more  abundantly  in  charity  for  their  work’s 
sake.  To  you  we  look  for  means  to  educate  youth  for  the 
ecclesiastical  state,  that,  when  fully  instructed  in  the  duties 
of  their  holy  vocation,  and  trained  in  discipline,  they  may 


168  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

become  fit  ministers  of  the  church,  and  adorn  it  by  their 
piety  and  zeal,  as  well  as  by  their  talents.  You  should  aid 
in  the  erection  of  the  temples  in  which  you  and  your  chil¬ 
dren  are  to  worship,  and  see  that  the  house  of  God  be  not 
unworthy  of  the  sublime  functions  which  are  to  be  per¬ 
formed  in  it.  Of  the  worldly  goods  which  God  has  be¬ 
stowed  on  you,  you  should  set  apart  a  reasonable  portion 
to  be  devoted  specially  to  his  glory:  and  you  should  rejoice 
at  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  you  to  manifest  your  grati¬ 
tude  for  his  benefits. 

Whilst  we  thus  exhort  you  to  the  exercise  of  Christian 
generosity,  we  are  still  more  solicitous  that  you  should  at¬ 
tend  to  your  personal  sanctification,  for 
Personal  this  is  the  will  of  God.  Follow  then,  be- 

Holiness  loved  brethren,  holiness,  without  which  no 

man  shall  see  God.  Be  not  deceived;  God 
is  not  mocked.  For  what  things  a  man  shall  sow,  those  also 
shall  he  reap.  For  he  that  soweth  in  his  flesh,  of  the  flesh 
also  shall  reap  corruption.  But  he  that  soweth  in  the  spirit, 
of  the  spirit  shall  reap  life  everlasting.  Dearly  beloved, 
we  beseech  you  as  strangers  and  pilgrims,  to  refrain  your¬ 
selves  from  carnal  desires  which  war  against  the  soul.  We 
caution  you  especially  against  the  degrading  excesses  of 
intemperance,  and  against  every  indulgence  which  might 
lead  to  them.  The  frail  man  must  abstain  not  only  from 
unlawful  gratification,  but  from  that  moderate  use  of  drink 
which  to  him  may  be  an  immediate  occasion  of  sin,  since 
he  that  loveth  danger  shall  perish  in  it.  You,  then,  employ¬ 
ing  all  care,  minister  in  your  faith,  virtue:  and  in  virtue, 
knowledge:  and  in  “knowledge,  abstinence:  and  in  ab¬ 
stinence,  patience:  and  in  patience,  godliness:  and  in  god¬ 
liness,  love  of  brotherhood:  and  in  love  of  brotherhood, 
charity. 

We  take  this  occasion,  brethren,  to  communicate  to  you 
the  determination,  unanimously  adopted  by  us,  to  place 
ourselves,  and  all  entrusted  to  our  charge  throughout  the 
United  States,  under  the  special  patronage  of  the  holy 
Mother  of  God,  whose  immaculate  conception  is  venerated 
by  the  piety  of  the  faithful  throughout  the  Catholic  church. 
By  the  aid  of  her  prayers,  we  entertain  the  confident  hope 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1846 


169 


that  we  will  be  strengthened  to  perform  the  arduous  duties 
of  our  ministry,  and  that  you  will  be  enabled  to  practise  the 
sublime  virtues,  of  which  her  life  presents 
a  most  perfect  example.  The  Holy  Ghost,  The  Mother  of 
by  her  own  lips,  has  foretold  that  all  gen-  God,  Patroness 
erations  shall  call  her  blessed;  and  we  can  of  the 
not  doubt  that  a  blessing  is  attached  to  American 

those  who  take  care  to  fulfil  this  prediction.  Church. 

To  her,  then,  we  commend  you,  in  the  con¬ 
fidence  that,  through  the  one  Mediator  of  God  and  men,  the 
man  Christ  Jesus,  who  gave  himself  a  redemption  for  all, 
she  will  obtain  for  us  grace  and  salvation. 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all. 
Amen. 

Given  at  Baltimore ,  in  the  sixth  Provincial  Council ,  on 
the  fifth  Sunday  after  Easter ,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 

MDCCCXLVI. 

■FSamuel,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

•FMichael,  Bishop  of  Mobile. 

^Francis  Patrick,  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 

■FJohn  Baptist,  Bishop  of  Cincinnati. 

•FGuy  Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Bolena,  and  Coadjutor  of 
Louisville. 

•FAnthony,  Bishop  of  New  Orleans. 

•FMathias,  Bishop  of  Dubuque. 

d-JoHN,  Bishop  of  New  York. 

^•Richard  Pius,  Bishop  of  Nashville. 

^•Celestine,  Bishop  of  Vincennes. 

*hJoHN  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Natchez. 

^Richard  Vincent,  Bishop  of  Richmond. 

*PPeter  Paul,  Bishop  of  Zela  and  Administrator  of 
Detroit. 

•FPeter  Richard,  Bishop  of  St.  Louis. 

HhJoHN  Mary,  Bishop  of  Claudiopolis  and  V.  Apostolic 
of  Texas. 

•FMichael,  Bishop  of  Pittsburg. 

•^Andrew,  Bishop  of  Little  Rock. 

^William,  Bishop  of  Chicago. 


170  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

HhJoHN,  Bishop  of  Axiern  and  Coadjutor  of  New  York. 
^William,  Bishop  of  Hartford. 

►Hgnatius  Aloysius,  Bishop  of  Charleston. 

*Wohn  Martin,  Bishop  of  Milwaukie. 

*KFohn  Bernard,  Bishop  of  Callipolis. 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1849 

THE  last  of  the  Provincial  Councils  of  Baltimore  to  legislate 
for  the  Church  in  the  entire  country,  was  held  in  May, 
1849.  At  the  close  of  the  Sixth  Provincial  Council,  the  Arch¬ 
bishop  of  Baltimore  was  the  sole  metropolitan  in  the  United 
States.  A  second  archiepiscopal  See  was  erected  in  Oregon 
City,  on  July  24,  1846.  This  caused  confusion  for  a 
time,  since  the  Bishop  of  St.  Louis,  who  apparently  held  juris¬ 
diction  over  the  Far  West,  saw  a  whole  ecclesiastical  province 
set  down  within  the  borders  of  his  diocese.  The  boundaries 
of  the  Oregon  Territory,  moreover,  had  been  in  dispute  between 
the  United  States  and  England,  and  there  was  question  whether 
the  new  See  would  not  conflict  with  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Cana¬ 
dian  Church.  In  June,  1846,  a  treaty  was  ratified  between 
England  and  the  United  States  fixing  the  boundary  of  Oregon 
at  the  forty-ninth  parallel.  In  1848,  the  region  was  organized 
as  a  regular  territory.  The  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo  of 
February  2,  1848,  which  the  Senate  accepted  on  March  10,  1848, 
brought  additional  territory  into  the  United  States.  The  Vi¬ 
cariate  of  New  Mexico  was  postulated  by  the  Seventh  Provin¬ 
cial  Council,  and  erected  the  following  year  (1850).  Texas  had 
been  erected  into  a  Vicariate  on  July  16,  1841;  and  after  the 
Mexican  War,  the  erection  of  the  See  of  Monterey  (1850)  com¬ 
pleted  the  plan  of  placing  the  faithful  of  all  the  acquired  terri¬ 
tory  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  American  hierarchy.  The 
promotion  of  St.  Louis  to  an  archiepiscopal  See  on  July  20, 
1847,  resulted  in  the  division  of  the  United  States  into  three 
ecclesiastical  provinces — Baltimore,  Oregon,  and  St.  Louis,  with 
twenty-three  suffragan  Sees,  over  one  thousand  priests,  and 
about  nine  hundred  and  sixty  churches  with  resident  pastors. 
It  was  the  intention  of  Archbishop  Eccleston  of  Baltimore  to  hold 
the  first  Plenary  Council  in  1849,  but  the  Archbishop  of  Oregon 
and  his  suffragans  found  it  impossible  to  attend  the  meeting 
owing  to  the  great  distance  which  separated  them  from  the 
East.  In  consequence,  although  attended  by  Archbishop 
Peter  Richard  Kenrick,  of  St.  Louis,  the  Council  was  con¬ 
sidered  a  provincial  one.  Among  its  principal  decrees  was  the 


172  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

petition  of  the  American  bishops  for  the  promulgation  of  the 
dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  The  decision  also  was 
reached  to  hold  a  Plenary  Council  the  following  year.  In  their 
Pastoral  Letter  the  Fathers  of  the  Council  devote  practically 
the  whole  of  the  document  to  the  practice  and  belief  of  the 
Church  regarding  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Blessed 
Mother  of  God. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1849 

(Seventh  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore) 

The  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  the  United  States  as¬ 
sembled  in  the  Seventh  Provincial  Council  of  Balti¬ 
more,  to  the  Clergy  and  Faithful  of  their  charge. 
Venerable  brethren  of  the  clergy,  and  beloved  brethren 
of  the  laity: 

IN  compliance  with  the  Sacred  Canons  we  have  again  as¬ 
sembled  to  deliberate  on  the  general  interests  of  religion 
in  these  United  States,  under  the  invocation  of  the  Divine 
Spirit,  whose  guidance  is  specially  promised  to  the  pastors 
of  the  church.  The  known  wishes  of  our  Holy  Father  Pius 
IX.  directed  our  attention  in  the  first  place  to  the  more  com¬ 
plete  organization  of  our  Hierarchy,  which,  when  it  shall 
have  received  his  necessary  sanction,  will  be  made  known 
to  you.  The  temporary  absence  of  the  Pontiff  from  his  See 
is  not  likely  to  occasion  any  extraordinary  delay  in  the  con¬ 
firmation  of  our  acts,  since  his  personal  energy,  and  the 
vigor  of  the  Apostolic  office  have  been  strikingly  manifested 
in  the  place  of  his  exile. 

And  here,  brethren,  we  cannot  withhold  the  expression 
of  our  sentiments  in  regard  to  the  events  which  have 

marked  the  brief  period  which  has  elapsed 
Pius  IX.  since  he  was  raised  to  the  pontificate.  Al¬ 
though  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  not  of  this 
world,  and  the  successor  of  Peter  has  of  divine  right  no 
temporal  dominion,  yet  through  the  munificence  of  Chris¬ 
tian  princes,  and  the  spontaneous  acts  of  a  people  redeemed 
from  bondage  by  the  paternal  influence  of  the  Bishop  of 
Rome,  a  small  principality  has  been  attached,  during  more 
than  a  thousand  years,  to  the  Holy  See  under  the  name  of  the 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1849 


173 


patrimony  of  St.  Peter.  Finding  himself  charged  with  the 
duties  of  temporal  governor  in  consequence  of  his  election 
to  the  office  of  Chief  Bishop  of  the  Catholic  Church,  his  Holi¬ 
ness  commenced  his  civil  administration  by  acts  of  clem¬ 
ency,  and  by  measures  of  a  liberal  policy,  directed  to  im¬ 
prove  the  social  condition  of  his  subjects.  These  conces¬ 
sions  elicited,  as  might  have  been  expected,  unbounded  ex¬ 
pressions  of  gratitude  from  the  people  of  the  Roman  States, 
and  won  the  admiration  and  applause  of  the  whole  civil¬ 
ized  world.  We  need  not  say  what  a  return  has  been  made 
for  this  enlightened  and  spontaneous  policy.  Willingly 
would  we  persuade  ourselves  that  the  outrages  committed 
against  his  authority  are  to  be  ascribed  to  the  desperate 
machinations  of  a  small  number  of  abandoned  men.  As 
we  are  not  subject  to  him  as  a  temporal  ruler,  and  as  we 
are  devotedly  attached  to  the  republican  institutions  under 
which  we  live,  we  feel  ourselves  to  be  impartial  judges  of 
the  events  which  have  resulted  in  his  flight  from  his  capital, 
and  of  the  subsequent  attempts  to  strip  him  of  all  civil 
power:  yet  as  friends  of  order  and  liberty,  we  cannot  but 
lament  that  his  enlightened  policy  has  not  been  suffered  to 
develop  itself,  and  that  violence  and  outrage  have  disgraced 
the  proceedings  of  those  who  proclaim  themselves  the 
friends  of  social  progress.  We  must  at  the  same  time  avow 
our  conviction,  that  the  temporal  principality  of  the  Roman 
States  has  served,  in  the  order  of  Divine  Providence,  for 
the  free  and  unsuspicious  exercise  of  the  spiritual  functions 
of  the  Pontificate,  and  for  the  advancement  of  the  interests 
of  religion,  by  fostering  institutions  of  charity  and  of  learn¬ 
ing.  Were  the  Bishop  of  Rome  the  subject  of  a  civil  ruler, 
or  the  citizen  of  a  republic,  it  might  be  feared  that  he  would 
not  always  enjoy  that  freedom  of  action  which  is  necessary, 
that  his  decrees  and  measures  be  respected  by  the  faithful 
throughout  the  world.  We  know,  indeed,  that  if  at  any 
time  it  please  God  to  suffer  him  to  be  permanently  deprived 
of  all  civil  power,  He  will  divinely  guard  the  free  exercise 
of  his  spiritual  authority,  as  was  the  case  during  the  first 
three  ages,  under  the  reign  of  the  Pagan  emperors,  when 
the  Bishops  of  Rome  displayed  an  apostolic  energy,  which 
was  every  where  felt  and  respected.  On  account  of  the  more 


174  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

excellent  principality  attached  to  the  Church  of  Rome  from 
the  beginning,  as  founded  by  the  glorious  apostles  Peter 
and  Paul,  every  local  church,  that  is,  all  Christians  in  every 
part  of  the  world,  felt  bound  to  harmonize  in  the  faith  with 
that  most  ancient  and  illustrious  Church,  and  to  cherish  in¬ 
violably  her  communion.  The  Successor  of  Peter,  even 
under  circumstances  so  unfavorable,  watched  over  the  gen¬ 
eral  interests  of  religion  in  Asia  and  Africa,  as  well  as  in 
Europe,  and  authoritatively  proscribed  every  error  op¬ 
posed  to  divine  revelation,  and  every  usage  pregnant  with 
danger  to  its  integrity. 

The  pontifical  office  is  of  divine  institution,  and  totally 
independent  of  all  the  vicissitudes  to  which  the  temporal 

principality  is  subject.  When  Christ  our 

The  Papacy.  Lord  promised  to  Peter  that  He  would 

build  His  Church  on  him  as  on  a  rock.  He 
gave  him  the  assurance  that  the  gates  of  hell,  that  is,  the 
powers  of  darkness,  should  not  prevail  against  it;  which 
necessarily  implies  that  his  office  is  fundamental  and  es¬ 
sential  to  the  Church,  and  must  continue  to  the  end  of  time. 
Peter  was  constituted  pastor  of  the  lambs  and  sheep, 
namely,  of  the  whole  flock  of  Christ,  which  through  him  is 
one  fold  under  one  shepherd.  Our  Lord  at  His  last  supper 
prayed  that  His  disciples,  and  those  who  through  their  min¬ 
istry  should  believe  in  Him,  might  be  one,  even  as  He  and 
the  Father  are  one:  and  as  He  is  always  heard,  we  cannot 
doubt  that  this  unity  is  an  inseparable  characteristic  of  the 
Church:  whence  the  office  of  Chief  Pastor,  by  which  unity 
is  maintained,  can  never  cease.  We  exhort  you,  brethren, 
to  continue  steadfast  in  your  attachment  to  the  Chair  of 
Peter,  on  whiqh  you  know  that  the  Church  was  built.  Since 
it  has  pleased  Divine  Providence  to  establish  that  chair  in 
the  City  of  Rome— the  capital  of  the  Pagan  world — in  order 
to  show  forth,  in  the  most  striking  manner,  the  power  of 
Christ,  he  is  a  schismatic  and  prevaricator  who  attempts 
to  establish  any  other  Chair  in  opposition  to  the  Roman  See, 
or  independent  of  it.  That  Church  was  consecrated  by  the 
martyrdom  of  the  apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  who  bequeathed 
to  her  their  whole  doctrine  with  their  blood.  Christ  our 
Lord  has  placed  the  doctrine  of  truth  in  the  Chair  of  unity, 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1849 


175 


and  has  charged  Peter  and  his  successors  to  confirm  their 
brethren,  having  prayed  specially  that  the  faith  of  Peter 
may  not  fail.  By  means  of  the  uninterrupted  tradition  of 
that  Church,  coming  down  through  the  succession  of  bish¬ 
ops  from  the  apostles,  we  confound  those  who  through 
pride,  self-complacency,  or  any  other  perverse  influence, 
teach  otherwise  than  divine  revelation  warrants,  and  at¬ 
tempt  to  adulterate  the  doctrine,  which,  as  pure  streams 
from  an  unpolluted  fountain,  flows  thence  throughout  the 
whole  world. 

Under  the  circumstances  of  peculiar  difficulty  in  which 
the  Chief  Bishop  is  placed  by  the  temporary  privation  of 
his  temporal  dominions  and  of  the  reve¬ 
nues  annexed  to  them,  it  becomes  all  the  Collection  for 
children  of  the  Church  to  give  evidence  of  the  Pope, 
sincere  sympathy,  by  contributing  of  their 
worldly  substance  to  enable  him  to  meet  the  extraordinary 
expenses  which  the  government  of  the  Church  imposes  on 
him.  Since  the  Holy  See  has  watched  over  the  churches 
of  these  States  with  maternal  solicitude,  and  has  fed  us  with 
the  milk  of  pure  doctrine  as  new-born  infants,  giving  us 
gratuitously  all  that  was  necessary  to  lead  us  to  the  ma¬ 
turity  of  Christian  virtue,  it  becomes  us  who  have  received 
spiritual  things  from  her  disinterested  charity,  to  furnish 
the  exiled  Pontiff  with  temporal  things  in  the  time  of  his 
distress  and  affliction.  At  the  instance  of  the  Most  Rever¬ 
end  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  we  have  unanimously  and, 
with  acclamation,  resolved  to  invite  you  to  present  your 
free  offerings  towards  his  relief,  and  have  for  this  purpose 
appointed  the  first  Sunday  of  July,  being  within  the  octave 
of  the  feast  of  Saints  Peter  and  Paul,  for  a  general  collec¬ 
tion  in  all  the  churches  of  the  United  States.  Let  every  one 
of  you,  brethren,  put  apart  with  himself,  laying  up  what  it 
may  well  please  him,  that  he  may  present  his  gift  as  a  token 
of  his  attachment  to  the  Chief  Pastor.  Let  the  collections 
made  on  the  day  already  mentioned  be  transmitted  without 
delay  to  the  respective  Bishops  of  each  diocess,  who  will 
forward  the  same  to  the  Metropolitan  of  Baltimore,  for  the 
purpose  of  being  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Holy  Father, 


176  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

in  testimony  of  the  sympathy  of  all  his  spiritual  children 
in  these  States,  and  as  a  contribution  to  his  support. 

The  repeated  solicitations  of  Bishops  from  various  parts 
of  the  Church,  presented  to  the  Apostolic  See,  have  moved 

his  Holiness  to  address  all  his  colleagues, 
The  for  counsel  in  regard  to  the  definition  of  the 

Immaculate  doctrine,  that  the  Mother  of  our  Lord  was 
Conception.  preserved  by  divine  grace  from  all  stain 

of  original  sin.  This  has  hitherto  been 
considered  as  a  pious  belief,  which  derived  strength  and 
sanction  from  the  solemnity  in  honor  of  her  Conception, 
celebrated  during  several  ages  throughout  the  whole  Church. 
In  the  East  it  was  observed  as  early  as  the  fifth  century,  under 
the  title  of  the  Conception  of  Saint  Anne,  the  mother  of  the 
holy  Virgin,  although  it  is  not  known  to  have  been  introduced 
into  the  West  before  the  ninth  century.  Everywhere  through¬ 
out  the  whole  Church  from  the  earliest  period  Mary  was 
styled  holy  and  immaculate,  as  is  evident  from  the  liturgi¬ 
cal  books  and  from  the  writings  of  the  Fathers.  Saint 
Ephrem  of  Syria,  in  the  fourth  century,  proclaimed  her 
purity  and  sanctity  to  be  far  greater  than  that  of  the  most 
sublime  spirits  that  surround  the  throne  of  God,  since  it  is 
her  singular  privilege  to  be  the  Mother  of  the  Word  Incar¬ 
nate.  “She  is/’  he  says,  “an  immaculate  and  undefiled  Vir¬ 
gin,  incorrupt  and  chaste,  and  altogether  free  from  all  de¬ 
filement  and  stain  of  sin,  the  Spouse  of  God — the  Virgin 
Mother  of  God,  inviolate,  holy,  and  entirely  pure  and  chaste: 
holier  than  the  Seraphs,  and  incomparably  more  glorious 
than  all  the  celestial  hosts.”1  Although  the  attention  of  the 
Church  in  the  early  ages  was  specially  fixed  on  the  mystery 
of  the  Incarnation,  and  her  authority  was  employed  chiefly 
against  the  destructive  heresies  that  directly  assailed  it,  yet 
the  honor  of  the  Virgin  Mother  was  vindicated  whenever  it 
came  in  question.  When  Nestorius  endeavored  to  divide 
Christ,  ascribing  to  His  human  nature  a  distinct  person¬ 
ality,  the  great  Council  of  Ephesus,  in  proscribing  the  nov¬ 
elty,  proclaimed  Mary  the  Mother  of  God,  in  conformity 
with  the  constant  doctrine  of  all  antiquity.  Her  perpetual 
virginity  was  subsequently  declared,  when  denied  by  inno- 


i  Orat.  in  Ss.  Dei  Genitricem. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1849 


177 


vators.  Her  exemption  from  actual  sin  was  stated  by  the 
Holy  Council  of  Trent,  in  a  definition  of  faith;  and  the  same 
venerable  authority  designated  her  “immaculate”  in  a  dec¬ 
laration  annexed  to  the  canons,  regarding  original  sin. 
These  fathers  declare  that  it  is  not  their  intention  to  include 
the  Blessed  and  Immaculate  Virgin  Mary  in  these  decrees, 
hut  that  the  constitutions  of  Pope  Xystus  IV.  on  this  point 
are  to  be  observed.  This  Pontiff,  in  consequence  of  disputes 
raised  concerning  her  Conception,  had  found  it  necessary 
to  forbid  under  heavy  penalties,  the  branding  as  heresy 
either  the  pious  sentiment,  or  the  contradictory  opinion.  It 
happened  in  regard  to  this  point,  as  on  many  others,  that 
in  the  progress  of  time  doubts  were  excited  as  to  the  tradi¬ 
tion  and  faith  of  the  Church.  The  disputes  which  arose  on 
this  subject  were  tolerated  by  her  with  that  consideration 
and  patience  with  which  the  conflict  of  sentiment  in  regard 
to  the  necessity  of  the  ceremonial  observances  was  suf¬ 
fered  in  the  first  Council  of  Jerusalem,  until  the  voice  of 
Peter  terminated  the  discussion.  She  abstained  from  pro¬ 
nouncing  judgment  whilst  the  excitement  prevailed,  con¬ 
tent  with  the  protestations  of  the  contending  parties  of  un¬ 
reserved  submission  to  her  authority,  and  leaving  every 
proof  and  every  difficulty  to  be  maturely  canvassed,  and  to 
he  weighed  in  the  scales  of  the  sanctuary.  Whilst  the  Pon¬ 
tiffs  allowed  to  theologians  the  right  of  private  investiga¬ 
tion,  they  were  careful  to  maintain  the  usage  of  celebrating 
the  festival,  and  forbade,  under  heavy  penalties,  any  pub¬ 
lic  expression  of  sentiment  derogatory  to  the  belief  which 
the  faithful  piously  cherished. 

Since  the  divine  Scriptures  teach  that  all  men  sinned 
in  Adam,  and  that  we  are  by  nature  children  of  wrath,  the 
Virgin  Mary,  as  his  natural  descendant,  would  have  in¬ 
curred  the  common  penalty,  had  not  she  been  preserved 
from  it  by  divine  grace.  The  Angel  Gabriel  assured  her 
that  she  had  found  grace  with  God,  and  saluted  her  as  full 
of  grace.  She  was  declared  blessed  among  women,  both 
by  the  heavenly  messenger,  and  by  her  cousin  Elizabeth, 
speaking  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  St.  Iren- 
aeus  represents  her  as  repairing  by  her  obedience  the  evils 
brought  on  mankind  by  the  disobedience  of  the  mother  of 


178  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

the  human  family.  Her  exemption  from  the  general  mal¬ 
ediction  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact,  that  she  was  chosen 
to  be  Mother  of  our  Redeemer,  whose  body  was  formed  of 
her  substance.  St.  Augustin  speaking  of  actual  sin,  which, 
in  the  strongest  terms,  he  ascribed  to  every  child  of  Adam, 
observed  that  he  must  not  be  understood  to  include  the 
Virgin  Mother,  concerning  whom  he  would  suffer  no  thought 
to  be  entertained  when  sin  was  in  question,  for  the  honor 
of  our  Lord;  “for  we  know,”  he  says,  “that  grace  was  be¬ 
stowed  on  her  to  overcome  sin  in  every  respect,  since  she 
was  chosen  to  conceive  and  bring  forth  Him  who  was  utterly 
free  from  sin.”2  Guided  by  this  most  just  principle  we  can 
interpret  the  general  assertions  of  the  fathers  without  prej¬ 
udice  to  the  Blessed  One  whose  womb,  as  a  most  hallowed 
shrine,  bore  our  Redeemer;  whose  breasts  gave  him  suck. 

The  living  faith  and  oral  tradition  of  the  Church  must 
be  deemed  the  echo  of  ancient  apostolic  tradition,  and  the 
genuine  expression  of  revealed  truth.  The  Holy  Ghost  is 
always  with  the  successors  of  the  apostles,  to  guide  them 
into  all  truth,  and  to  impress  on  their  minds  those  doctrines 
which  were  originally  delivered  by  Christ,  and  which  must 
always  remain,  although  heaven  and  earth  should  pass 
away.  He  watches  over  them,  that  the  revealed  doctrine 
may  be  preserved  free  from  all  admixture  of  error. 

We  do  not  mean  to  anticipate  the  solemn  judgment  of 
the  Chief  Bishop;  but  in  the  mean  time  we  exhort  you 
brethren,  to  continue  to  cherish  a  tender  devotion  to  the 
Mother  of  our  Lord,  since  the  honor  given  to  her  is  founded 
on  the  relation  which  she  bears  to  Him,  and  is  a  homage 
rendered  to  the  mystery  of  His  incarnation.  The  more  highly 
you  venerate  her,  as  the  purest  and  holiest  of  creatures, 
the  deeper  sense  you  manifest  of  His  divinity:  wherefore 
her  devout  clients  in  ancient  and  later  times  have  always 
been  distinguished  by  zeal  to  maintain  the  great  mysteries 
of  faith.  From  St.  Ephrem  of  Syria  to  St.  Bernard  of  Clair- 
vaux,  and  St.  Thomas  of  Aquin,  or  even  to  St.  Alphonsus 
de  Liguori,  all  have  glowed  with  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  have  been  distinguished  by  the  purity  of  their  lives, 
and  by  their  zeal  for  the  attainment  of  Christian  perfec- 

2  L.  de  Natura  et  Gratia. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1849 


179 


tion.  On  the  contrary  those  who  have  assailed  the  vener¬ 
ation  of  the  Virgin  have  easily  fallen  into  the  denial  of  the 
divinity  of  her  Son.  Devotion  to  her  is  as  an  outwork  of 
the  Church  protecting  the  belief  of  the  divine  mystery. 

We  doubt  not,  brethren,  that  the  powerful  intercession 
of  Mary  will  obtain,  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord  and  Redeemer,  from  the  Father  of  lights,  and  the 
Giver  of  all  good  gifts,  the  necessary  light  and  aid  for  the 
Chief  Pastor  of  the  Church,  and  graces  and  blessings  for  the 
Christian  people.  When  we  survey  the  Christian  world, 
and  see  thrones  overturned,  monarchs  fleeing  in  fear,  so¬ 
ciety  convulsed,  destructive  errors  spread  abroad  by  the 
untiring  efforts  of  impious  men,  and  confusion  and  disorder 
widely  prevailing,  we  are  afflicted  almost  to  despondency: 
but  when  we  raise  our  thoughts  on  high  to  the  kingdom  of 
light  and  love,  where  Mary  stands  near  the  throne  of  her 
Divine  Son,  we  are  inspired  with  confidence,  that  she,  who, 
at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  received  us  all  as  her  children  in 
the  person  of  the  Beloved  Disciple,  will  effectually  plead 
our  cause.  Through  her  we  have  received  all  grace,  since 
she  brought  forth  Him  who  has  redeemed  us  by  His  blood, 
and  through  Him  she  has  crushed  the  head  of  the  infernal 
serpent.  Let  us  then  go  with  confidence  to  the  throne  of 
mercy,  relying  on  the  infinite  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  our 
only  Saviour,  and  commending  ourselves  to  the  prayers  of 
His  holy  Mother,  who  is  always  heard  on  account  of  her  in¬ 
timate  relation  to  Him,  and  her  tender  love  for  Him.  Let 
us  ask  that  the  hydra-head  of  heresy  may  be  crushed  for 
ever,  and  that  revealed  truth  in  all  its  fulness  may  be  ac¬ 
knowledged  by  all  mankind;  so  that  the  prayer  of  the 
Psalmist  may  be  accomplished:  “Let  people  praise  Thee, 
O  God:  let  all  people  give  praise  to  Thee.”  Let  us  pray 
that  all  division  and  strife  may  be  brought  to  an  end,  and 
that  all  the  professors  of  the  Christian  name  may  be  united 
in  religious  communion,  earnestly  cherishing  the  unity  of 
the  spirit  in  a  bond  of  peace.  At  the  same  time  we  must 
with  increased  fervor  ask  that  scandals  may  be  rooted  out 
from  the  fold  of  Christ,  and  that  the  purity  of  morals  and 
beauty  of  holiness  may  everywhere  flourish. 

Take  unto  you,  brethren,  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and 


180  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

the  sword  of  the  spirit,  (which  is  the  word  of  God).  By 
all  prayer  and  supplication  praying  at  all  times  in  the  spirit; 
and  in  the  same  watching  with  all  instance  and  supplication 
for  all  the  saints;  and  for  us  that  speech  may  be  given  us, 
that  we  may  open  our  mouths  with  confidence,  to  make 
known  the  mystery  of  the  Gospel.  Peace  be  to  you 
brethren,  and  charity  with  faith  from  God  the  Father,  and 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Given  under  our  hands,  in  Provincial  Council  at  Balti¬ 
more  on  the  fifth  Sunday  after  Easter  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  mdcccxlix. 

FSamuel,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

F  Peter  Richard,  Archbishop  of  St.  Paul. 

FMichael,  Bishop  of  Mobile. 

FFrancis  Patrick,  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 

FJohn  Baptist,  Bishop  of  Cincinnati. 

FAnthony,  Bishop  of  New  Orleans. 

FMathias,  Bishop  of  Dubuque. 

FJohn,  Bishop  of  New  York. 

FRichard  Pius,  Bishop  of  Nashville. 

FJohn  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Natchez. 

FRichard  Vincent,  Bishop  of  Richmond. 

FPeter  Paul,  Bishop  of  Zela,  in  partibus,  and  Admin¬ 
istrator  of  the  Diocess  of  Detroit. 

FJohn  Mary,  Bishop  of  Galveston. 

FMichael,  Bishop  of  Pittsburg. 

FAndrew,  Bishop  of  Little  Rock. 

FJohn,  Bishop  of  Albany . 

F  William,  Bishop  of  Hartford. 

FIgnatius  Aloysius,  Bishop  of  Charleston. 

FJohn  Martin,  Bishop  of  Milwaukie. 

FJohn  Bernard,  Bishop  of  Boston. 

FAmedeus,  Bishop  of  Cleveland. 

FJohn,  Bishop  of  Buffalo. 

FMartin  John,  Bishop  of  Lengo ,  in  partibus,  and  Coad¬ 
jutor  of  the  Bishop  of  Louisville. 

FMaurice,  Bishop  of  Vincennes. 

F James  Oliver,  Bishop  of  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 

OWING  to  the  illness  of  Archbishop  Eccleston,  who  had  pre¬ 
sided  over  five  of  the  Provincial  Councils,  the  convocation 
of  the  First  Plenary  Council  was  not  made  in  1850.  After 
his  death  (April  22,  1851),  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  Bishop  of 
Philadelphia,  was  promoted  to  the  archiepiscopal  See  of  Bal¬ 
timore  (August  3,  1851).  On  August  19,  Pius  IX.  appointed 
him  Apostolic  Delegate  for  the  Council,  and  on  November  21, 
Archbishop  Kenrick  called  the  Council — the  First  Plenary 
Council  of  the  Church  in  the  United  States — for  the  following 
May.  Before  the  opening  of  its  sessions  on  May  9,  1852,  the 
Holy  See  had  erected  three  more  ecclesiastical  provinces  in  the 
United  States — New  Orleans,  Cincinnati  and  New  York.  The 
Council  was  attended  by  six  Archbishops  and  by  thirty-five 
suffragan  bishops.  Twenty-five  decrees  were  enacted  by  the 
Fathers  of  the  Council.  Archbishop  Kenrick  viewed  the  purpose 
of  the  Council  as  follows:  “The  object  for  which  this  Council  is 
summoned,  is  by  wise  enactments  and  measures  to  promote  dis¬ 
cipline,  and  enforce  the  sacred  Canons,  or  to  submit  such  modi¬ 
fications  of  them  as  local  circumstances  may  require,  to  the 
mature  and  enlightened  judgment  of  the  chief  bishop,  who  is 
divinely  charged  with  the  solicitude  of  all  the  churches.  We 
come  together,  brethren,  not  for  idle  display  of  ceremonial 
pomp,  but  to  take  mutual  counsel  after  imploring  divine  guid¬ 
ance,  for  we  watch,  ‘as  being  to  render  an  account  of  your  souls.’ 
The  power  committed  to  us  by  our  Lord  is  to  be  exercised  for 
edification,  for  the  building  up  of  the  body  of  Christ,  whose 
members  should  be  closely  joined  together  in  religious  com¬ 
munion.” 

One  source  of  confusion  in  the  discipline  of  the  Church 
came  from  the  varied  customs  which  had  been  brought  from 
Europe  by  the  immigration  of  the  period  previous  to  the  Coun¬ 
cil.  The  Fathers  assembled  in  1852,  had  the  delicate  task  of 
unifying  the  ecclesiastical  discipline  of  the  country  in  such  a 
way  that  national  and  racial  divergencies  should  not  be  of¬ 
fended.  The  work  of  the  Council  was  divided  among  six 
different  committees  and  then  discussed  in  general  sessions. 


182 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


The  Fathers  decreed  that  the  legislation  of  the  Seven  Provincial 
Councils  of  Baltimore  should  extend  to  all  parts  of  the  United 
States.  The  old  trustee  evil  was  nearly  extinct,  but  the  decrees 
against  it  in  previous  Councils  were  reenacted.  The  bishops 
were  exhorted  to  build  parochial  schools  in  all  their  parishes, 
and  the  present  system  of  supporting  the  schools  was  inaugu¬ 
rated.  The  special  topics  of  the  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852,  which 
was  written  by  Archbishop  Kenrick,  of  St.  Louis,  are  those  of 
ecclesiastical  authority  and  Catholic  education. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 


( First  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore) 


The  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  the  United  States  in  Na¬ 
tional  Council  assembled  at  Baltimore,  to  the  Clergy 
and  Laity  of  their  charge ,  health  and  benediction! 
Venerable  Brethren  of  the  Clergy,  and  Beloved  Chil¬ 
dren  of  the  Laity: 

SSEMBLED  in  National  Council,  under  the  sanction  of 


* *■  Our  Most  Holy  Father,  Pius  IX,  we  find  no  duty  more 
imperative,  and,  at  the  same  time,  more  agreeable  to  our 
feelings,  than  to  address  the  flock  committed  to  our  care. 
The  attachment  to  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  Our  Holy 
Religion  which  characterizes  the  Catholics  of  the  United 
States ;  the  docility  and  obedience  which  they  have  uniformly 
manifested;  the  cordial  union  which,  notwithstanding  the 
diversity  of  origin,  customs  and  language,  reigns  through¬ 
out  the  whole  Catholic  Body  in  this  vast  country;  their  gen¬ 
eral  fervour  and  devotedness  in  the  exercise  of  the  virtues 
of  the  Gospel,  fill  our  hearts  with  joy,  and  more  than  com¬ 
pensate  us  for  the  cares  and  solicitudes  of  the  pastoral  of¬ 
fice.  We  are  able  to  adopt  the  words  of  the  apostle:  “Our 
mouth  is  open  to  you, — our  heart  is  enlarged.”1  “Great  is 
our  confidence  for  you;  great  is  our  glorying  for  you.  We 
are  filled  with  comfort:  We  exceedingly  abound  with  joy 
in  all  our  tribulation.”2 

The  authority  we  exercise  has  been  given  us  by  Christ. 
We  are  His  Ministers;  ambassadors  for  Him.  We  claim  no 

l  2  Cor.  vi.  11.  2  2  Cor.  vii.  4. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 


183 


power,  and  seek  no  influence  which  He  has  not  willed  us  to 
have.  It  is  our  duty  to  guard  the  sacred  deposit  of  the 
faith;  for  to  us  has  it  been  committed,  and 
from  us  will  it  be  one  day  demanded  by  Episcopal 
our  Heavenly  Master.  Having  vouchsafed  Authority, 
to  speak,  at  sundry  times,  and  in  divers 
manners,  in  times  past  to  the  fathers  by  the  prophets,  last  of 
all  hath  God  spoken  to  us  by  His  Son;  and  this  Divine  Son, 
— the  brightness  of  His  Father’s  glory,  the  figure  of  His  sub¬ 
stance, — has  made  us  the  depositaries  of  His  doctrine,  and 
“has  given  to  us  the  ministry  of  reconciliation.”3  Man  hav¬ 
ing  had  need  that  God  should  teach  him,  ever  requires  to 
receive  this  divine  teaching  through  a  channel  in  which  it 
shall  be  preserved  from  whatever  might  taint  its  purity, 
and  thus  destroy  its  authority.  Not  only  must  we  know  that 
God  has  spoken;  we  must  also  be  assured  that  His  voice 
is  heard  throughout  all  time.  Although  no  longer  visible 
to  men,  Christ,  our  God,  has  not  left  us  orphans.  He  has 
sent  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Paraclete  whom  He  promised; 
He  has  infused  into  the  earthly  elements  which  He  selected 
for  the  formation  of  His  Church,  the  breath  of  undying  life; 
and  that  Holy  Spirit  ever  abides  in  the  Church,  teaches  her 
all  truth,  preserves  her  from  every  error,  and  renders  her  a 
sure  guide  to  the  pastures  of  salvation,  to  the  fountain 
whence  springs  up  water  to  eternal  life.  Thus  is  fulfilled 
the  word:  “He  that  heareth  you,  heareth  me:”4  thus  is 
the  Church,  “the  House  of  the  Living  God,  the  Pillar  and  the 
ground  of  truth;”5  and  on  this  is  grounded  the  obligation 
which  we  urge  with  no  less  confidence  than  did  the  Apos¬ 
tles  of  Christ:  “Obey  your  prelates,  and  be  subject  to 
them.  For  they  watch  as  being  to  render  an  account  of  your 
souls,  that  they  may  do  this  with  joy,  and  not  with  grief.”  6 
The  source  of  this  authority  is  Christ.  The  channel 
through  which  it  is  communicated  to  the 
other  members  of  the  church  is  the  Bishop  The  Source 
of  Rome.  The  successor  of  St.  Peter,  is  of  Episcopal 
the  heir  of  the  privileges  conferred  on  the  Authority. 
Prince  of  the  Apostles;  on  him  as  on  the 
solid  foundation  which  the  wise  architect  has  chosen,  is 

3  2  Cor.  v.  18.  4  Luke  x.  16.  5  1  Tim.  iii.  15.  0  Heb.  xiii.  17, 


184  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

the  Church  built;  to  him,  in  the  person  of  Peter,  for  whom 
Christ  specially  prayed,  has  it  been  given  to  confirm  his 
brethren.  As  in  the  case  of  every  other  country  where  the 
Church  has  been  established,  our  hierarchy  has  grown  up 
under  his  fostering  care;  has  developed  itself,  with  his 
sanction  and  approval,  in  dignity  and  number;  and  its  mem¬ 
bers,  although  spread  over  the  wide  extent  which  separates 
ocean  from  ocean,  have,  on  the  present  occasion,  joyfully 
obeyed  his  summons  to  assemble  in  National  Council,  under 
the  presidency  of  a  special  representative  of  the  Holy  See 
in  the  person  of  the  Most  Rev.  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 
We  rejoice  at  the  occasion  of  proclaiming  our  attachment 
to  the  centre  of  Catholic  unity;  and  we  exhort  you,  brethren, 
to  cherish  a  love  for  the  Holy  See,  in  which  is  preserved  an 
unbroken  succession  of  Pastors  from  the  time  of  Christ  to 
the  present  day;  which  has  condemned  all  the  errors  that 
men  have  sought  to  combine  with  the  doctrines  of  revela¬ 
tion;  and  which  ever  watches  over  the  integrity  of  faith 
and  ever  guards  the  purity  of  ecclesiastical  discipline.  Let 
us  hope  that  the  erroneous  ideas  entertained  by  so  many  of 
our  fellow-citizens,  of  the  nature  of  the  power  which  we 
recognise  in  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  as  successor  of  St.  Peter, 
will  be  removed,  and  that  this  chief  See,  whence  sacerdotal 
unity  has  derived  its  origin,  may  be  acknowledged  as  the 
centre  of  ecclesiastical  authority,  the  source  of  all  that  is 
grand  and  imposing  in  the  extent,  union  and  permanence 
of  the  Church.  Let  us  pray  that  all  who  are  separated  from 
the  Church  may  be  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth; 
that  the  appalling  extremes  to  which  error  is  hurrying 
those  who  have  cast  off  the  authority  appointed  by  Christ, 
may  cause  men  to  recognise  a  principle  which  alone  can 
unite  them  in  the  one  fold  of  the  one  shepherd.  Let  your 
united  prayers  ascend  to  the  Father  of  mercies,  who  wishes 
all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  that  this  most  desirable  end  be  attained,  remember¬ 
ing  that  what  is  impossible  to  man  may  be  rendered  pos¬ 
sible  by  the  influence  of  Divine  grace. 

Among  the  causes  which,  in  a  few  instances,  and,  princi¬ 
pally  in  days  now  happily  past,  led  to  the  forgetfulness  of 
the  extent  which  belongs  to  the  authority  that  we  exercise, 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 


185 


must  be  reckoned  the  attempt  to  apply  to  the  Catholic 
Church,  in  the  administration  of  the  temporalities  belong¬ 
ing  to  her,  principles  and  rules  foreign  to 
her  spirit  and  irreconciliable  with  the  Administration 
authority  of  her  Pastors.  The  result  was  of  Church 
such  as  might  have  been  expected.  Peace  Property, 
and  harmony  were  disturbed,  the  progress 
of  religion  checked  or  entirely  impeded,  and  the  Church 
reproached  with  the  misconduct  of  her  unworthy  children. 
For  the  purpose  of  guarding  against  the  recurrence  of  such 
evils,  we  deem  it  necessary  to  make  a  public  and  authentic 
declaration  of  Catholic  principles  on  this  important  sub¬ 
ject.  Whatever  is  offered  to  God,  and  solemnly  consecrated 
to  His  service,  whether  it  be  the  material  temple  in  which 
His  worshippers  assemble;  or  the  ground  set  apart  for  the 
interment  of  those  who  repose  in  God’s  field  awaiting  the 
promised  resurrection,  or  property,  real  or  personal,  in¬ 
tended  for  the  purposes  of  Divine  service,  or  for  the  educa¬ 
tion,  support  and  maintenance  of  the  clergy, — every  such 
thing  is  sacred  and  belongs  to  the  Church,  and  cannot  be 
withdrawn  from  the  service  of  God  without  the  guilt  of 
sacrilege.  The  donor  or  donors  of  such  gifts  can  exercise 
no  right  of  ownership  over  them.  With  these  temporal 
things,  thus  separated  from  common  purposes  and  set  apart 
for  the  service  of  the  sanctuary,  the  Church  cannot  allow 
any  interference  that  is  not  subordinate  to  her  authority. 
The  Bishop  of  each  diocess  is  the  representative  and  organ 
of  that  authority,  and,  without  his  sanction,  no  arrange¬ 
ment,  howsoever  in  itself  of  a  purely  temporal  nature,  that 
has  reference  to  religious  worship,  has,  or  can  have,  force 
or  validity.  Whenever  the  Bishop  deems  it  advisable  to 
acquiesce  in  arrangements  for  the  administration  of  Church 
temporalities  which  have  not  originated  with  the  ecclesias¬ 
tical  authority,  or  which  may  have  arisen  from  ignorance 
of  its  rights,  or  from  a  spirit  of  opposition  to  them,  we  de¬ 
clare  that  such  arrangements  have  force  and  effect  in  the 
Catholic  Church,  in  consequence  of  such  acquiescence,  and 
not  from  any  other  cause  or  principle  whatever.  And  we 
furthermore  declare,  that  whenever  the  Bishop  of  a  diocess 
recognises  such  arrangements,  or  acquiesces  in  them,  those 


186  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

charged  with  the  care  of  Church  temporalities,  whether  lay¬ 
men  or  clergymen,  are  bound  to  render  an  annual  account 
of  their  administration  to  the  Bishop,  agreeably  to  the  rule 
prescribed  in  such  cases  by  the  Holy  Council  of  Trent.7 

We  exhort  you,  brethren,  to  sustain  your  prelates  in 
their  efforts  to  maintain  the  discipline  of  the  Church  in  this 
no  less  than  in  other  matters.  It  is  from  them,  and  not  from 
the  stranger,  and  still  less  from  the  disobedient  brethren, — 
that  you  are  to  learn  her  principles,  and  those  rules  of  con¬ 
duct  which  the  experience  of  centuries  has  taught  her  to 
regard  as  conducive  to  your  real  interests.  In  this  no  less 
than  in  matters  of  faith  and  practice,  you  have  to  attend  to 
the  Apostle’s  admonition :  “Obey  your  prelates  and  be  sub¬ 
ject  to  them.”8 

The  Church  claims  obedience  not  only  when  she  teaches 
you  the  truths  of  faith,  but  also  when  she  prescribes  rules 

of  conduct.  We  have  the  consolation  to 
Church  know  that  her  claims  are  recognised,  to 

Discipline.  their  full  extent,  by  the  vast  majority  of 

her  children;  but  we  know  also,  that  some 
who  profess  to  look  upon  her  as  the  Mother  who  has  brought 
them  forth  in  Christ, — who  alone  has  the  words  of  eternal 
life; — have,  in  disregard  of  her  authority, — attached  them¬ 
selves  to  certain  societies,  which  she  either  entirely  con¬ 
demns,  or  views  with  well  founded  apprehension.  What 
want,  either  of  body  or  of  mind,  is  left  unprovided  for 
in  the  principles  she  teaches  and  in  the  holy  associations 
which  she  has  sanctioned?  Because  men,  having  rejected 
the  principle  of  Christian  charity,  feel  the  void  which  they 
themselves  have  created,  they  endeavor  to  substitute  hu¬ 
man  virtues  as  the  remedy  for  the  evils  which  nothing  less 
than  a  divine  grace  can  heal.  There  can,  then,  be  no  neces¬ 
sity  for  the  children  of  the  Church  to  seek  out  of  her  what 
they  can  find  in  her  alone;  nor  any  excuse  for  the  insubor¬ 
dination  which  would  regard  the  exercise  of  her  authority 
in  this  matter  as  uncalled  for  or  injudicious.  We  exhort 
our  venerable  Brethren  the  clergy  to  urge  the  faithful  to 
observe  all  the  regulations  on  this  subject  that  have  eman¬ 
ated  from  the  Holy  See,  as  also  those  contained  in  the  de- 

1  Sess.  xxii.  De  reformatione,  cap.  9. 


8  Heb.  xii.  17. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 


187 


crees  of  the  Councils  of  Baltimore,  which  have  received  the 
sanction  of  the  Supreme  Pastor  of  the  Church. 

The  wants  of  the  Church  in  this  vast  country,  so  rapidly 
advancing  in  population  and  prosperity,  impose  on  us,  your 
pastors,  and  on  you,  our  children  in  Christ, 
peculiar  and  very  arduous  duties.  We  not  The  Needs  of 
only  have  to  build  up  the  Church,  by  the  the  Church 

preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  inculca-  in  America, 

tion  of  all  the  virtues  it  teaches,  but  also 
to  supply  the  material  wants  of  religious  worship  in  pro¬ 
portion  to  the  unexampled  rapidity  with  which  our  flocks 
increase.  We  have  to  establish  missions  in  places  where, 
but  a  few  years  since,  none,  or  but  few,  Catholics  were  to 
be  found,  and  where  now  the  children  of  the  Church  cry 
with  clamorous  importunity  for  the  bread  of  life.  We  have 
to  build  the  Church,  where  before  God’s  name  was  not  pub¬ 
licly  worshipped;  and  to  multiply  his  temples  where  they 
no  longer  suffice  for  the  constantly  increasing  wants  of  the 
faithful.  We  have  to  provide  a  ministry  for  the  present 
and  future  wants  of  the  country,  and,  in  this  matter,  have 
to  contend  with  difficulties  which  are  unknown  in  countries 
where  Religion  has  been  long  established,  and  where  the 
piety  and  zeal  of  past  generations  have  furnished  ample 
means  for  this  most  important  object.  We  have  to  provide 
for  the  Catholic  education  of  our  youth.  Not  only  have  we 
to  erect  and  maintain  the  Church,  the  Seminary  and  the 
School-house,  but  we  have  to  found  Hospitals,  establish  or¬ 
phanages,  and  provide  for  every  want  of  suffering  human¬ 
ity,  which  Religion  forbids  us  to  neglect.  We  thank  the 
Giver  of  all  good  gifts  for  the  extraordinary  benediction 
which  He  has  hitherto  bestowed  upon  our  efforts,  and  those 
of  the  venerable  men  whose  places  we  fill.  We  rejoice  at 
having  the  opportunity  of  bearing  public  testimony  to  the 
generous  assistance  which  we  have  received  from  our  flocks 
in  our  respective  diocesses.  Much,  however,  as  has  been 
done,  much  still  remains  to  be  accomplished.  Our  churches 
are  nowhere  equal  to  the  wants  of  the  Catholic  population, 
and  in  many  places  are  far  from  being  sufficiently  spacious 
to  afford  one-half  of  our  people  the  opportunity  of  attend¬ 
ing  Divine  worship.  We,  therefore,  exhort  you,  Brethren, 


188  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

to  co-operate  generously  and  cheerfully  with  your  pastors, 
when  they  appeal  to  you  in  behalf  of  works  of  charity  and 
religious  zeal.  In  contributing  to  Divine  worship,  you  make 
an  offering  to  God  of  the  gifts  He  has  bestowed  on  you, 
and  a  portion  of  which  He  requires  should  be  consecrated 
to  His  service,  as  a  testimony  of  your  continued  depend¬ 
ence  on  His  Sovereign  Mercy.  We  hope  that  the  examples 
of  your  Catholic  forefathers,  and  even  of  some  among  your¬ 
selves,  will  be  generally  felt  and  not  unfrequently  imitated; 
and  that  here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  the  Church  will  be  able 
to  show  the  proofs  of  her  children’s  faith  in  the  numerous 
temples  raised  to  the  honor  of  God’s  name,  in  the  beauty 
of  His  Sanctuary  which  the  true  Christian  will  ever  love, 
and  in  the  ample  and  permanent  provision  made  for  the 
maintenance  of  public  worship. 

The  education  of  candidates  for  the  ministry  is  one  of 
our  most  urgent  wants.  Notwithstanding  the  multiplied 

privations,  difficulties  and  embarrassments 

Education  which  our  predecessors  experienced,  and 

of  Priests.  which  have  not  yet  entirely  disappeared, 

they  spared  no  sacrifice  in  order  to  rear 
up  successors  to  the  ministry  who  should  be  equal  to  the 
wants,  and  worthy  of  the  piety,  of  their  people.  These 
wants  increase  with  the  increase  of  the  population;  and 
we  have  no  hesitation  in  avowing  that  the  efforts  hitherto 
made  to  supply  our  churches  with  priests  are  far  from  being 
adequate.  To  attain  this — the  most  important  of  all  means 
to  be  employed  for  the  maintenance  and  diffusion  of  Re¬ 
ligion, — we  need  your  co-operation,  which  we  are  confident 
will  not  be  refused.  We  ask  not  for  ourselves,  but  for  you, 
and  for  your  children.  We  seek  to  avert  the  evil  of  hear¬ 
ing  the  cries  of  the  little  ones  in  Christ  for  the  bread  of  life, 
without  being  able  to  afford  them  one  to  break  it  to  them. 
We  seek  to  avert  the  evils  resulting  from  the  want  of  a 
regular  and  permanent  source  for  the  perpetuation  of  the 
ministry,  which  we  have  so  often  experienced,  and  which,  if 
left  without  a  remedy,  must  continue  to  produce  most  disas¬ 
trous  results. 

Without  priests  educated  in  the  science  of  the  sanctuary 
and  trained  up  to  the  practice  of  its  virtues,  under  our  own 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 


189 


eyes,  or  under  the  care  of  those  to  whom  we  may  commit 
this  important  trust,  we  cannot  hope  to  behold  the  ministry 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  country,  or  equal  to  the  work 
which  the  providence  of  God  has  assigned  to  us.  Co-operate, 
then,  generously  and  perseveringly,  with  your  respective 
prelates  in  their  efforts  to  provide  a  suitable  ministry  for 
our  infant  churches;  cultivate  the  virtuous  dispositions  of 
those  among  your  children,  who,  attracted  by  the  beauty  of 
holiness,  manifest  in  an  early  age  of  desire — most  frequently 
the  inspiration  of  divine  grace — to  consecrate  themselves  to 
the  service  of  the  altar.  Let  it  be  for  you  a  matter  of  devout 
thanksgiving  and  holy  exultation,  that  your  offspring  prefer 
the  service  of  God’s  altar,  to  all  the  attractions  of  worldly 
ambition  and  cupidity.  Invoke  by  fervent  prayer  the  mercy 
of  God,  that  he  may  send  laborers  into  His  vineyard,  that 
he  may  raise  up  ministers  of  His  sanctuary,  powerful  in 
word  and  work,  and  who,  while  they  possess  that  knowledge 
which  the  lips  of  the  priest  are  commanded  to  keep,  may  ex¬ 
hibit  all  the  virtues  of  the  apostolate  which  they  are  called 
to  exercise. 

No  portion  of  our  charge  fills  us  with  greater  solicitude 
than  that  which  our  Divine  Master,  by  word  and  example, 
has  taught  us  to  regard  with  more  than 
ordinary  sentiments  of  affection — the  Catholic 

younger  members  of  our  flock.  If  our  Schools, 

youth  grow  up  in  ignorance  of  their  re¬ 
ligious  duties  or  unpractised  in  their  consoling  fulfilment; 
if,  instead  of  the  words  of  eternal  life,  which  find  so  full 
and  sweet  an  echo  in  the  heart  of  innocence,  the  principles 
of  error,  unbelief  or  indifferentism,  are  imparted  to  them; 
if  the  natural  repugnance,  even  in  the  happiest  period  of 
life,  to  bend  under  the  yoke  of  discipline,  be  increased  by 
the  example  of  those  whose  relation  to  them  gives  them 
influence  or  authority, — what  are  we  to  expect  but  the  dis¬ 
appointment  of  all  hopes  which  cause  the  Church  to  rejoice 
in  the  multiplication  of  her  children!  We  therefore  ad¬ 
dress  you  brethren,  in  the  language  of  affectionate  warning 
and  solemn  exhortation.  Guard  carefully  those  little  ones 
of  Christ;  “suffer  them  to  approach  Him,  and  prevent  them 


190  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.”9  To  you,  Chris¬ 
tian  parents,  God  has  committed  these  His  children,  whom 
He  permits  you  to  regard  as  yours;  and  your  natural  affec¬ 
tion  towards  whom  must  ever  be  subordinate  to  the  will  of 
Him  “from  whom  all  paternity  in  heaven  and  on  earth  is 
named.”10  Remember  that  if  for  them  you  are  the  repre¬ 
sentatives  of  God,  the  source  of  their  existence,  you  are  to 
be  for  them  depositaries  of  His  authority,  teachers  of  His 
law,  and  models  by  imitating  which  they  may  be  perfect, 
even  as  their  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect.  You  are  to  watch 
over  the  purity  of  their  faith  and  morals  with  jealous  vigi¬ 
lance,  and  to  instil  into  their  young  hearts  principles  of 
virtue  and  perfection.  What  shall  be  the  anguish  of  the 
parent’s  heart, — what  terrible  expectation  of  judgment  that 
will  fill  his  soul,  should  his  children  perish  through  his 
criminal  neglect,  or  his  obstinate  refusal  to  be  guided  in  the 
discharge  of  his  paternal  duties,  by  the  authority  of  God’s 
Church.11  To  avert  this  evil  give  your  children  a  Christian 
education,  that  is  an  education  based  on  religious  princi¬ 
ples,  accompanied  by  religious  practices  and  always  subor¬ 
dinate  to  religious  influence.  Be  not  led  astray  by  the  false 
and  delusive  theories  whch  are  so  prevalent,  and  which 
leave  youth  without  religion,  and,  consequently,  without 
anything  to  control  the  passions,  promote  the  real  happi¬ 
ness  of  the  individual,  and  make  society  find  in  the  increase 
of  its  members,  a  source  of  security  and  prosperity.  Listen 
not  to  those  who  would  persuade  you  that  religion  can  be 
separated  from  secular  instruction.  If  your  children,  while 
they  advance  in  human  sciences,  are  not  taught  the  science 
of  the  saints,  their  minds  will  be  filled  with  every  error, 
their  hearts  will  be  receptacles  of  every  vice,  and  that  very 
learning  which  they  have  acquired,  in  itself  so  good  and 
so  necessary,  deprived  of  all  that  could  shed  on  it  the  light 
of  heaven,  will  be  an  additional  means  of  destroying  the 
happiness  of  the  child,  embittering  still  more  the  chalice  of 
parental  disappointment,  and  weakening  the  foundations 
of  social  order.  Listen  to  our  voice,  which  tells  you  to  walk 
in  the  ancient  paths;  to  bring  up  your  children  as  you  your¬ 
selves  were  brought  up  by  your  pious  parents;  to  make  re- 


&  Mark  x.  14. 


lOEph.  ill.  16. 


ii  John  xvii.  12. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 


191 


ligion  the  foundation  of  the  happiness  you  wish  to  secure 
for  those  whom  you  love  so  tenderly,  and  the  promotion 
of  whose  interests  is  the  motive  of  all  your  efforts,  the  solace 
which  sustains  you  in  all  your  fatigues  and  privations.  En¬ 
courage  the  establishment  and  support  of  Catholic  schools; 
make  every  sacrifice  which  may  be  necessary  for  this  ob¬ 
ject:  spare  our  hearts  the  pain  of  beholding  the  youth 
whom,  after  the  example  of  our  Master,  we  so  much  love, 
involved  in  all  the  evils  of  an  uncatholic  education,  evils 
too  multiplied  and  too  obvious  to  require  that  we  should  do 
more  than  raise  our  voices  in  solemn  protest  against  the 
system  from  which  they  spring.  In  urging  on  you  the  dis¬ 
charge  of  this  duty,  we  are  acting  on  the  suggestion  of  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff,  who  in  an  encyclical  letter,  dated  21 
November,  1851,  calls  on  all  the  Bishops  of  the  Catholic 
world,  to  provide  for  the  religious  education  of  youth.  We 
are  following  the  example  of  the  Irish  Hierarchy,  who 
are  courageously  opposing  the  introduction  of  a  system 
based  on  the  principle  which  we  condemn,  and  who 
are  now  endeavoring  to  unite  religious  with  secular 
instruction  of  the  highest  order,  by  the  institution 
of  a  Catholic  University, — an  undertaking  in  the  success 
of  which  we  necessarily  feel  a  deep  interest,  and  which, 
as  having  been  suggested  by  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  power¬ 
fully  appeals  to  the  sympathies  of  the  whole  Catholic  world. 

Our  Holy  Father  Pius  IX  has  recommended  to  our  notice, 
as  well  as  to  that  of  all  the  Bishops  of  the  Church,  the  So¬ 
ciety  established  at  Lyons  in  France,  for 
the  purpose  of  aiding  apostolic  mission-  The  Society 
aries  in  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith.  In-  of  the 
dependently  of  the  authority  which  has  Propagation 
thus  spoken,  our  own  feelings  would  of  the  Faith, 
prompt  us  to  address  you  on  the  subject. 

From  the  time  of  its  first  establishment,  almost  thirty  years 
ago,  up  to  the  present  time,  this  association  has  contributed, 
generously  and  uninterruptedly,  to  the  support  of  our  mis¬ 
sions.  If  our  churches  have  so  rapidly  multiplied;  if  our 
religious  and  educational  establishments  are  now  compara¬ 
tively  numerous;  if  new  missions  and  new  diocesses  have, 
amidst  most  appalling  discouragements,  still  continued  to 


192  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

be  founded, — we  must,  in  truth  and  justice,  acknowledge, 
that  in  all  this  the  Association  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Faith  has  afforded  us  the  most  generous  and  most  enlight¬ 
ened  co-operation.  We  feel  the  obligations  which  we  have 
to  an  Association  which  is  identified  with  the  progress  of 
religion  in  every  part  of  the  world;  and  we,  therefore,  ex¬ 
hort  you  Brethren  to  encourage  its  establishment  in  your 
respective  districts,  agreeably  to  the  wishes  of  the  Sover¬ 
eign  Pontiff,  who  desires  to  see  the  whole  Catholic  world 
united  in  an  effort  to  diffuse  the  Gospel  of  Christ  through¬ 
out  all  nations.  The  small  annual  contribution  made  to  this 
Association  will  not  interfere  with  any  other  effort  of  Chris¬ 
tian  zeal  or  charity;  and  we  cherish  the  conviction,  that  its 
establishment  will  draw  down  from  God  the  choicest  bless¬ 
ings  on  all  who  unite  in  this  truly  good  work. 

Attachment  to  the  civil  institutions  under  which  you  live, 
has  always  marked  our  conduct:  and  if  we  address  you  on 

this  subject,  it  is  not  from  any  apprehen- 
Civil  sion  that  you  are  likely  to  vary  from  the 

Allegiance.  course  which  you  have  hitherto  pursued. 

After  the  example  of  the  apostle,  St.  Paul, 
we  cannot,  however,  deem  it  altogether  unnecessary  to  ex¬ 
hort  you  ever  to  discharge  your  civil  duties  from  the  higher 
motives  which  religion  suggests.  Obey  the  public  author¬ 
ities,  not  only  for  wrath  but  also  for  conscience  sake.  Show 
your  attachment  to  the  institutions  of  our  beloved  country 
by  prompt  compliance  with  all  their  requirements,  and  by 
the  cautious  jealousy  with  which  you  guard  against  the 
least  deviation  from  the  rules  which  they  prescribe  for  the 
maintenance  of  public  order  and  private  rights.  Thus 
will  you  refute  the  idle  babbling  of  foolish  men,  and  will 
best  approve  yourselves  worthy  of  the  privileges  which  you 
enjoy,  and  overcome,  by  the  sure  test  of  practical  patriot¬ 
ism,  all  the  prejudices  which  a  misapprehension  of  your 
principles  but  too  often  produces. 

We  now  address,  in  a  particular  manner,  our  venerable 
Brethren  of  the  clergy,  our  fellow-laborers  in  the  vineyard, 
the  praise  of  whose  labors  is  not  with  men  but  with  God, 
and  who  await  the  coming  of  the  Master  of  the  vineyard, 
when  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls  shall  bestow  an 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 


193 


eternal  recompense  on  zeal  and  perseverance.  Agreeably  to 
the  direction  of  the  Holy  Council  at  Trent,  we  have  to  exhort 
them,  to  endeavor,  by  the  whole  tenor  of 
their  lives,  no  less  than  by  the  exercise  of  Exhortation 
the  apostolic  ministry,  to  guide  the  flock  of  to  the  Clergy. 
Christ  to  safe  and  salutary  pastures.  To  the 
ministers  of  the  New  Law  the  words  spoken  by  God  to  the 
Levitical  priesthood  are  more  imperatively  addressed:  “Be 
ye  holy;  for  I,  the  Lord,  your  God,  am  holy.”12  Great  as  is 
the  dignity  of  the  priesthood,  holy  as  are  its  functions,  we 
must  ever  remember  that  we  carry  about  this  precious 
treasure  in  frail  vessels;  that  we  are  surrounded  with  in¬ 
firmity;  and  that  to  us  especially  is  addressed  the  admoni¬ 
tion:  “Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  tempta¬ 
tion.”13  We  are  the  light  of  the  world;  and  to  our  actions, 
even  more  than  to  our  words,  do  the  faithful  look  up  for  the 
rule  -they  are  to  follow,  the  example  they  are  to  imitate. 
We  are  the  salt  of  the  earth;  and  by  the  wholesome  severity 
of  Christian  discipline,  we  are  to  preserve  from  the  all  per¬ 
vading  corruption  of  the  age  those  whom  the  Providence  of 
God  has  committed  to  our  guardianship.  Not  only  have  we 
to  consider  the  faithful  of  our  charge;  we  have  also  to  re¬ 
member  those  other  sheep  which  are  not  yet  of  the  fold 
of  Christ,  and  whom  the  Shepherd  of  souls  designs  to  bring 
within  its  sacred  pale.  Let  us  be  mindful  of  the  apostolic 
admonition,  and  “give  offence  to  no  one,  that  our  ministry 
may  not  be  reviled;”14  that  the  prejudices  of  education 
may  not  be  strengthened;  or  the  persevering  misrepresenta¬ 
tion  by  which  we  are  assailed  receive  apparent  confirma¬ 
tion  from  the  faults  or  imperfections  that  may  be  discovered 
in  us.  Let  us  be  the  example  of  the  faithful  in  word,  in 
conversation,  in  charity,  in  faith,  in  chastity;  let  us  attend 
to  reading,  to  exhortation  and  to  doctrine,  and  thus  we 
shall  save  ourselves  and  those  that  hear  us. 

Nor  can  we  close  this  Letter  without  addressing  the  con¬ 
secrated  Virgins,  who,  in  the  admirable  variety  of  occupa¬ 
tions,  suggested  by  zeal  and  charity,  are  now,  as  in  the 
days  of  St.  Cyprian,  the  more  illustrious  portion  of  the 
flock  of  Christ,  the  flower  and  ornament  of  the  Church. 


12  Lev.  xi.  44. 


13  Matt.  xxvi.  41. 


14  2  Cor.  vi.  3- 


194  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

Them  we  address,  after  the  example  of  the  same  holy 
martyr,  in  language  of  affectionate  reverence  rather  than 

in  the  words  of  authority.  Them  also  we 
The  Catholic  must  exhort  to  keep  their  lamps  filled  with 
Sisterhoods.  the  oil  of  good  works;  to  labor  assiduously 

to  render  themselves  still  more  and  more 
worthy  of  their  Heavenly  Spouse,  by  going  from  virtue 
to  virtue;  and  them  also  we  must  admonish,  that  in  propor¬ 
tion  to  the  sublime  course  of  religious  perfection  on  which 
they  have  entered,  is  the  solicitude  we  feel  that  they  should 
secure  the  crown  which  is  to  be  their  exceeding  great  reward. 
To  each  of  them,  the  Spouse  of  their  souls  says:  “Behold 
I  come  quickly:  hold  fast  that  which  thou  hast,  that  no  man 
take  thy  crown.”15 

And  to  you,  beloved  children  of  the  Laity, — our  joy  and 
our  crown, — we  desire,  in  concluding,  to  address  a  few 

words  of  affectionate  admonition.  We 
Exhortation  know  your  faith  and  the  fervor  which  so 
to  the  Laity,  many  of  you  exhibit:  but  our  office  is  one 

of  solicitude  and  concern.  Until  the  vic¬ 
tory  is  achieved  we  cannot  be  without  apprehension;  and 
our  cares  will  only  cease  when  we  shall  have  given  an  ac¬ 
count  of  the  stewardship  which  we  have  received.  Although 
of  the  household  of  God,  and  children  of  the  faith,  you  have, 
by  good  works,  to  make  your  calling  and  election  sure.  You 
are  to  co-operate  with  us  in  preaching  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
by  the  care  of  your  own  households,  and  by  the  good  ex¬ 
ample  you  give  to  all  who  come  within  the  sphere  of  your 
influence.  Walk  worthy  of  your  calling;  refute  the  calum¬ 
nies  which  are  so  frequently  uttered  against  the  Mother  who 
has  brought  you  forth  in  Christ,  by  having  your  conversa¬ 
tion  good  among  those  who  are  estranged  from  her  influ¬ 
ence;  “that  whereas  they  speak  against  you  as  evil  doers, 
they  may,  by  the  good  works  which  they  shall  behold  in 
you,  glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation.” 16  “For  the  rest, 
brethren,  whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  modest, 
whatsoever  just,  whatsoever  holy,  whatsoever  lovely,  what¬ 
soever  of  good  fame,  if  there  be  any  virtue,  any  praise  of 
discipline,  think  on  these  things.  The  things  which  you 


15  Apoc.  ill.  2. 


16  1  Peter  ii.  12. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1852 


195 


have  both  learned  and  received,  and  heard  and  seen — 
these  do  ye,  and  the  God  of  peace  shall  be  with  you.” — “The 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your  spirit.”  17 
We  direct  this  our  Pastoral  Letter  to  he  read  publicly  in 
all  the  churches  subject  to  our  jurisdiction. 

Given  at  Baltimore,  in  National  Council,  on  the  Feast  of 
the  Ascension,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1852. 

FFrancis  Patrick,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  and  Dele¬ 
gate  of  the  Apostolic  See. 

FFrancis  Norbert,  Archbishop  of  Oregon. 

FPeter  Richard,  Archbishop  of  St.  Louis. 

FAnthony,  Archbishop  of  New  Orleans. 

FJohn,  Archbishop  of  New  York. 

FJohn  Baptist,  Archbishop  of  Cincinnati. 

FMichael,  Bishop  of  Mobile . 

FMatthias,  Bishop  of  Dubuque. 

FRichard  Pius,  Bishop  of  Nashville. 

FJohn  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Natchez. 

FRichard  Vincent,  Bishop  of  Wheeling. 

FPeter  Paul,  Bishop  of  Zela  and  Administrator  of 
Detroit. 

FJohn  Mary,  Bishop  of  Galveston. 

FMichael,  Bishop  of  Pittsburg. 

FAndrew,  Bishop  of  Little  Rock. 

FJohn,  Bishop  of  Albany. 

FIgnatius  Aloysius,  Bishop  of  Charleston. 

FJohn  Martin,  Bishop  of  Milwaukie. 

FJohn  Bernard,  Bishop  of  Boston. 

FAmedeus,  Bishop  of  Cleveland. 

FJohn,  Bishop  of  Buffalo. 

FMartin  John,  Bishop  of  Louisville. 

F James  Oliver,  Bishop  of  Chicago. 

FAugustin,  M.  M.,  Bishop  of  Nesqualy. 

F Joseph  Sadoc,  Bishop  of  Monterey. 

FBernard,  Bishop  of  Hartford. 

FFrancis  Xavier,  Bishop  of  Savannah . 


it  Philip,  iv.  8,  9. 


196  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 
Hh  John,  Bishop  of  Richmond. 

■Wohn,  Bishop  of  Agatlion,  Vicar  Apostolic  of  New 
Mexico. 

■^Joseph,  Bishop  of  St.  Paul. 

•PJohn  Baptist,  Bishop  of  Messena,  Vicar  Apostolic  of 
the  Indian  Territory  East  of  Rocky  Mountains. 
4-John  Nepomucen,  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 


CHAPTER  XI 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


BETWEEN  the  First  and  Second  Plenary  Councils  of  Balti¬ 
more  there  lies  shrouded  in  sorrow  the  saddest  of  all  his¬ 
torical  periods  in  American  history.  The  Second  Plenary  Coun¬ 
cil  was  to  be  held  in  1862,  but  when  that  year  came,  the  North 
and  the  South  were  in  deadly  conflict;  and  the  nation  beheld 
the  singular  spectacle  of  Catholics  in  the  front  ranks  of  Federal 
and  Confederate  armies,  with  their  respective  spiritual  leaders, 
priests  and  bishops,  encouraging  them  in  what  all  believed  to 
be  their  duty.  Among  the  churches,  only  the  Catholic  faith 
preserved  its  unity  and  survived  the  shock  of  that  cleavage.  In 
November,  1861,  Archbishop  John  Hughes  of  New  York  was 
entrusted  by  Secretary  Seward  with  the  important  mission  of 
enlisting  the  sympathies  of  France  for  the  Union,  and  his  in¬ 
terviews  with  the  leading  French  statesmen,  and  particularly 
with  Napoleon  III  and  the  Empress,  will  always  be  a  vital  part 
of  the  history  of  the  Civil  War.  The  revival  of  bigotry  through 
the  reorganization  of  Native-Americanism  in  1852  caused  con¬ 
siderable  uneasiness  in  the  country.  Outbreaks  by  the  “Know- 
nothings”  as  the  new  party  was  called,  had  occurred  in  Provi¬ 
dence,  R.  I.,  in  1851;  and  in  1854-55,  there  were  numerous  out¬ 
rages  committed  upon  Catholic  Church  property  and  upon  the 
homes  of  Irish  Catholics  in  various  cities.  One  peak  of  violence 
was  reached  during  Archbishop  Bedini’s  visit  to  the  United 
States  (1853).  It  was  in  October,  1854,  that  the  unspeakable 
outrage  upon  Father  John  Bapst,  S.  J.,  took  place  in  a  northern 
city.  The  following  year,  on  August  5,  rioting  and  bloodshed 
occurred  in  Louisville,  and  gave  the  day  the  unsavory  name 
of  “Bloody  Monday.”  Massachusetts  passed  (1854)  a  bill  for 
the  inspection  of  the  convents  of  nuns,  and  the  law  was  carried 
out  in  a  very  offensive  manner.  The  effort  to  create  a  national 
society  for  the  purpose  of  driving  all  Catholics  from  public  office 
was  unsuccessful.  These  un-American  tendencies  were  in- 
cidently  subdued  by  the  Civil  War. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  War,  Archbishop  Martin  John 
Spalding,  of  Baltimore,  as  Apostolic  Delegate,  issued  a  call 
(March  19,  1866)  for  the  Second  Plenary  Council.  The  prin- 


198  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

cipal  motive  for  holding  the  Council  was  “that  at  the  close  of 
the  national  crisis,  which  had  acted  as  a  dissolvent  upon  all 
sectarian  ecclesiastical  institutions,  the  Catholic  Church  might 
present  to  the  country  and  the  world  a  striking  proof  of  the 
strong  bond  of  unity  with  which  her  members  are  knit  to¬ 
gether. “  The  decrees  of  the  Second  Plenary  Council  are  divided 
into  titles  and  chapters.  The  result  of  the  deliberations  was  a 
complete  recasting  of  all  the  older  legislation.  The  Pastoral 
Letter  treats  in  a  particular  way  the  bearing  of  this  legislation 
upon  the  clergy  and  people.  The  Second  Plenary  Council  is 
treated  in  the  last  pages  of  Shea’s  great  work,  the  History  of 
the  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States.  He  was  on  his  death¬ 
bed  when  these  pages  were  written,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  he  did  not  live  to  give  us  the  benefit  of  his  wide  knowledge 
of  the  prelates  and  of  the  legislation  of  the  Council.  The  Acta 
et  Decreta  of  the  Council  were  published  in  Baltimore  (1868). 
Smith,  the  canonist  of  the  last  generation  of  the  clergy,  pub¬ 
lished  in  New  York  (1874),  his  Notes  on  the  Second  Plenary 
Council.  Perrine  published  (Baltimore,  1914)  a  translation  of 
a  very  interesting  commentary  on  the  Council  printed  in  Frank¬ 
fort,  Germany,  in  1867.  The  Sermons  of  the  Council  were  pub¬ 
lished  in  Baltimore  in  1866.  It  is  from  this  last  volume  that 
the  Pastoral  Letter  is  taken. 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 

(Second  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore) 

The  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  the  United  States,  in  Plen¬ 
ary  Council  assembled,  to  the  Clergy  and  Laity  of  their 
charge.  Venerable  Brethren  of  the  Clergy:  Beloved 
Children  of  the  Laity: 

A  FTER  the  lapse  of  more  than  fourteen  years  it  has  again 
**  been  permitted  us  to  assemble  in  Plenary  Council,  for 
the  purpose  of  more  effectually  uniting  our  efforts  for  the 
promotion  of  the  great  object  of  our  ministry — the  advance¬ 
ment  of  the  interests  of  the  Church  of  God.  God,  indeed, 
needs  not  human  agency,  although  He  vouchsafes  to  employ 
it.  As  in  assuming  our  nature  our  Divine  Redeemer  sub¬ 
jected  Himself  to  its  conditions,  and  was  made  like  unto  us, 
sin  only  excepted;1  so  he  has  willed  that  in  the  establishment 
and  maintenance  of  His  Church,  human  agency  should  be 

l  Heb.  iv.  15. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


199 


employed,  and  the  means  best  adapted  for  the  attainment 
of  its  great  end  should  be  selected. 

Among  these  means  the  assembling  in  council  of  the 
Bishops  placed  over  the  different  portions  of  Christ’s  flock, 
in  union  with,  and  in  obedience  to,  the  Chief  Bishop,  to 
whom  he  has  committed  the  care  of  the  whole — lambs  and 
sheep,  people  and  pastors — has  always  been  reckoned  as 
among  the  most  efficacious.  Hence  the  reverence  with  which 
the  Christian  World  has  ever  regarded  the  Councils  of  the 
Church.  Of  these  some  are  called  General,  because  repre¬ 
senting  the  universal  Church — the  body  of  Pastors  in  union 
with  its  Head — and  are  therefore  the  highest  expression  of 
the  authority  which  Christ  has  given  to  His  Church.  Local 
Councils,  being  but  partial  representations  of  the  Church, — 
because  composed  of  the  Bishops  of  one  or  more  Provinces, 
— are  of  inferior  weight,  but  still  are  embodiments  of  the 
same  principle.  Among  these  Local  Councils  those  called 
Plenary,  because  representing  several  Ecclesiastical  Prov¬ 
inces — ordinarily  under  one  civil  government,  and  therefore 
sometimes  called  National — hold  the  highest  place.  They 
are  assembled  by  express  direction  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff; 
who  appoints  a  representative  of  his  authority  in  the  Apos¬ 
tolic  Delegate  he  commissions  to  preside  over  them.  Such 
Councils  have  not  ordinarily  to  define  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church,  although  they  furnish  suitable  occasions  for  making 
authoritative  statements  of  them.  Their  principal  object, 
however,  is  to  regulate  discipline,  whether  by  the  correction 
of  abuses,  or  the  establishment  of  such  rules  of  conduct  as 
circumstances  may  require. 

I.  Authority  of  Plenary  Councils. 

The  authority  exercised  in  these  councils  is  original,  not 
delegated;  and  hence  their  decrees  have,  from  the  time  of 
their  promulgation,  the  character  of  ecclesiastical  law  for 
the  faithful  in  the  district  or  region  subject  to  the  jurisdic¬ 
tion  of  the  Bishops  by  whom  they  have  been  enacted.  By 
a  wise  regulation,  however,  which  combines  the  benefit  of 
central  authority  wuth  the  advantages  of  local  legislation, 
the  decrees  of  such  councils  are  not  promulgated  or  pub¬ 
lished  until  they  have  been  submitted  to  the  Holy  See.  This 


200  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

is  not  only  for  the  purpose  of  imparting  to  them  a  still  higher 
authority,  but  also  to  guard  against  any  inaccuracy  in  doc¬ 
trinal  statements,  or  any  enactment  not  in  conformity  with 
the  general  discipline  of  the  Church,  or  that  might  be  con¬ 
trary  to  the  spirit  of  Ecclesiastical  legislation. 

II.  Ecclesiastical  Authority. 

The  authority  thus  exercised  is  divine  in  its  origin,  the 
Holy  Ghost  having  “placed  Bishops  to  rule  the  Church  of 
God.”2  Obedience  to  it — whether  there  be  question  of  “the 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints,”  or  of  rules  of  conduct — 
is  not  submission  to  man  but  to  God;  and  consequently 
imposes  on  the  Faithful  no  obligation  incompatible  with  the 
true  dignity  of  man.  It  would  be  a  gross  error  to  confound 
the  liberty  “wherewith  Christ  has  made  us  free,”3  with  the 
license  which  would  reject  the  authority  He  has  established: 
As  obedience  to  law  is  the  basis  on  which  society  rests,  and 
the  only  condition  on  which  civil  liberty  can  be  enjoyed;  so 
in  Religion,  respect  for  the  authority  established  by  God, 
obedience  to  its  commands,  and  reverence  for  those  in  whom 
it  is  vested,  are  not  incompatible  with  Christian  Freedom, 
but  form,  in  fact,  the  condition  of  its  existence.  In  neither 
order,  is  liberty  freedom  from  all  restraint,  but  only  from 
unjust  and  unauthorized  control.  In  the  temporal  order, 
the  limits  of  lawful  power  vary  with  the  constitution  of  so¬ 
ciety  in  each  particular  nation,  but  in  the  Church,  the  uni¬ 
versal  society — divine  in  its  origin  and  constitution  no  less 
than  in  its  object,  and  bounded  by  no  local  limit — it  is  deter¬ 
mined  by  the  will  of  God,  made  known  to  men  by  that  Revel¬ 
ation  of  which  it  forms  a  part,  and  of  which  the  tribunal  by 
whose  authority  it  is  exercised  is  the  witness,  the  guardian, 
and  the  interpreter.  To  the  Apostles,  as  a  Ministerial  Body 
which  was  to  have  perpetual  existence  by  the  perpetual  suc¬ 
cession  of  its  members,  Christ  gave  the  powers  He  himself 
had  received  from  the  Father:  “As  the  Father  hath  sent  me, 
I  also  send  you.”4  “He  who  hears  you,  hears  Me.”5  Hence 
St.  Paul  identifies  the  ministry  established  by  Christ,  with 
Christ  Himself,  and  accounts  its  acts  as  the  acts  of  the  Re¬ 
deemer:  “But  all  things  are  of  God,  who  hath  reconciled 

2  Acts  xx.  3  St.  John  viii.  4  John  xx.  21.  »  Luke  x.  16. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


201 


us  to  Himself  in  Christ,  and  has  given  us  the  ministry  of 
reconciliation.  For  God  was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world 
to  Himself,  not  imputing  to  them  their  sins;  and  he  hath 
placed  in  us  the  word  of  reconciliation.  For  Christ  we  are 
ambassadors;  God  as  it  were  exhorting  by  us.”  6 

We  have  deemed  it  not  unnecessary  to  recall  these  truths 
to  your  minds,  from  our  knowledge  of  the  false  light  in  which 
the  nature  of  ecclesiastical  authority  is  so  often  presented 
to  view.  Civil  society  requires  a  supreme  tribunal  for  the 
adjudication  of  controversies  in  the  temporal  order;  and 
without  such  a  tribunal  no  society  could  exist.  Much  more 
does  the  Society,  which  Christ  established,  require  that  all 
controversies  regarding  the  doctrines  He  taught  and  the 
duties  He  imposed,  should  be  determined  by  an  authority, 
whose  decision  should  be  final,  and  which,  as  all  are  bound 
to  obey  it,  must  be  an  infallible  oracle  of  truth. 

Nor  is  this  principle  less  conformable  to  the  dictates  of 
reason  than  to  the  inspired  language  to  which  we  have  re¬ 
ferred.  Religion,  considered  as  a  Revelation,  or  extraordi¬ 
nary  manifestation  of  supernatural  truths,  originally  made 
to  man  by  the  ministry  of  men,  necessarily  implies  the 
agency  of  men  in  its  continued  promulgation.  When  the 
Eternal  Word  assumed  the  nature  of  man,  He  made  an  out¬ 
ward  manifestation  of  those  truths  which  men  never  could 
have  known  but  from  his  testimony.  “No  man  at  any  time 
hath  seen  God:  the  only  begotten  Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared  Him.”7  What  Christ  made 
known  to  the  Apostles,  He  commanded  them  to  make  known 
to  men:  “teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  you.”8  He  gave  their  teaching  the  sanc¬ 
tion  of  His  personal  authority,  and  placed  no  limit  to  the 
continuance  of  the  commission  thus  imparted:  “Behold  I 
am  with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the 
world”9 — a  phrase  once  before  used  by  Our  Lord,  and  once 
by  the  same  Evangelist,  St.  Matthew,  to  designate  the  “end  of 
the  world.”10  To  suppose  that  this  commission  was  fulfilled 
by  the  preaching  or  writing  of  the  Apostles,  so  that  after 
them,  men  were  not  to  have  living  teachers,  who  no  less  than 


6  2  Cor.  v.  18,  19,  20. 
P  Matt*  xxvill.  20, 


0  Ibid. 


7  John  i.  18. 
io  Matt.  xili.  30;  xxlv.  3. 


202  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

they  should  speak  with  the  authority  of  Christ,  is  to  suppose 
that  Christ  departed  from  the  plan  he  originally  traced  out, 
and  adopted  another  plan  of  which  he  made  no  mention. 
But  such  a  supposition  is  irreconcilable  with  the  plain  and 
authoritative  language  He  used,  and  incompatible  with  His 
divine  character. 

The  Apostles  certainly  did  not  so  understand  the  words 
of  their  Divine  Master.  They  “appointed  priests  in  every 
city:”11  to  these  they  gave  the  power  of  associating  others 
with  themselves  in  the  office  of  teaching :  as  they  themselves 
had  been  associated  with  the  Apostles:  and  as  the  Apostles 
had  been  associated  with  Christ.  Hence  the  charge  which 
St.  Paul  gave  to  Timothy,  was,  no  doubt,  given  to  all  who, 
like  Timothy,  had  received  the  imposition  of  hands  for  the 
work  of  the  ministry.  “Thou,  therefore,  my  son,  be  strong 
in  the  grace  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus;  and  the  things  which 
thou  hast  heard  from  me  before  many  witnesses,  the  same 
commend  to  faithful  men,  who  shall  be  fit  to  teach  others 
also.”12  Hence  the  principle,  elsewhere  enunciated  by  the 
same  Apostle,  that  “faith  comes  by  hearing,”  13  is  that  by 
which  the  knowledge  of  Christ’s  religion  was  to  be  con¬ 
tinued,  as  it  was  that  by  which  it  was  first  made  known. 
The  announcement  of  divine  truth  by  preachers,  who  have 
a  divine  commission  to  preach,  is  clearly  expressed  by  the 
same  Apostle  in  the  series  of  questions  which  precede  the 
words  above  quoted,  and  from  which  these  words  are  a  con¬ 
sequence.  Having  stated  that  all  who  call  on  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  whether  Jew  or  Greek,  shall  be  saved,  he  asks  him¬ 
self,  for  the  purpose  of  answering  a  possible  objection,  the 
following  questions:  “How  shall  they  then  call  on  Him  in 
whom  they  have  not  believed?  Or  how  shall  they  believe  in 
Him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard?  And  how  shall  they 
hear  without  a  preacher?  And  how  can  they  preach  unless 
they  be  sent;  as  it  is  written:  ‘How  beautiful  are  the  feet 
of  them  that  preach  the  gospel  of  peace,  of  them  that  bring 
glad  tidings  of  good  things !’  ”14 

Those  who  refuse  to  obey  this  authority,  and  who  con¬ 
demn  it  as  an  unwarranted  assumption  of  power  on  the  part 
of  the  Church,  deprive  themselves  of  the  only  means  by 

li  Tit.  i.  5.  12  2  Tim.  ii.  2.  is  Rom.  x.  17.  14  Ibid.,  14,  15. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


203 


which  they  can  learn  with  entire  certainty  the  truths  God 
requires  them  to  believe  and  the  duties  He  imposes,  in  order 
to  be  saved.  With  such  persons  opinion  is  necessarily  sub¬ 
stituted  for  faith,  which  is  firm  and  unwavering  belief,  on 
authority  external  to  the  believer.  Nor  can  it  be  said,  that 
those  who  reject  the  authority  of  the  Church  believe,  on  the 
authority  of  God,  what  they  find  Him  to  have  revealed  in 
His  written  Word.  The  meaning  of  that  Word — whether 
it  be  supposed  attainable  by  the  exercise  of  the  judgment 
aided  by  prayer  for  divine  Light,  or  by  a  supposed  imme¬ 
diate  inspiration  by  the  Holy  Ghost, — in  every  such  case, 
is  ascertained  by  the  individual  whose  judgment  may  err, 
and  whose  belief  of  a  divine  Inspiration  may  therefore  be 
an  illusion.  Experience  shows,  that  this  must  be  the  case  in 
most  instances;  and  reason  suggests  that  it  may  be  the  case 
in  all.  The  most  contradictory  conclusions  are  arrived  at 
by  men  of  great  talent,  vast  learning,  and  undoubted  sin¬ 
cerity  of  purpose.  The  most  absurd  and  blasphemous  ideas 
have  been  regarded  by  many  as  the  teachings  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  under  the  influence  of  the  illusion,  that  what  was 
the  suggestion  of  their  own  imagination — if  not  the  prompt¬ 
ings  of  Satan,  who  sometimes  “transforms  himself  into  an 
angel  of  light,” — was  indeed  the  voice  of  God.  The  tradi¬ 
tion  of  the  Church — that  is  the  handing  down  from  pastor 
to  pastor,  under  the  divine  protection  and  guarantee,  the 
doctrines  originally  received — is  the  only  rational  ground 
we  can  have  for  our  belief,  that  God  has  revealed  the  truths 
which  we  believe.  “Although  I,”  says  St.  Paul,  “or  an  angel 
from  heaven,  preach  to  you  a  gospel  other  than  you  have 
received,  let  him  be  anathema.”15  The  same  tradition,  joined 
with  the  authority  of  the  pastors  of  the  Church,  is  the  cri¬ 
terion  by  which  St.  John  teaches  us  to  try  the  spirits:  “We 
are  of  God.  He  that  knoweth  God  heareth  us.  He  that  is 
not  of  God,  heareth  us  not.  By  this  we  know  the  spirit  of 
truth  and  the  spirit  of  error.”16 

What  the  plain  words  of  Christ  and  reason  itself  estab¬ 
lish,  experience  confirms.  The  authority  recognized  in  the 
Catholic  Church  “preserves  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace,”  and  exhibits  to  the  world  One  Body  and  One 


15  Gal.  i.  8. 


16  1  John  iv.  6. 


204 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


Spirit,  because  there  is  One  Faith,  as  there  is  but  One  Lord 
whose  revelation  it  is.17  Outside  of  this  One  Fold  of  the 
One  Shepherd,  divisions  arise  and  are  perpetuated,  because 
there  is  no  supreme  tribunal  by  which  they  might  be  extin¬ 
guished;  sects  are  multiplied,  and  religious  indifference  or 
unbelief  is  sought  as  a  refuge  from  the  contradiction  of 
tongues.  Hence  the  principles  of  morality,  which  derive  the 
only  efficacious  motives  for  their  practice  from  the  Revela¬ 
tion  of  which  they  form  a  part,  are  weakened,  if  not  entirely 
undermined;  the  believer  is  embarrassed  and  perplexed, 
and  the  unbeliever,  who  cannot  always  distinguish  between 
the  Church  and  the  sects,  finds  a  plausible  excuse  for  in¬ 
credulity  in  the  diversities  of  religious  systems  and  the  di¬ 
visions  of  professing  Christians. 

This  authority  is  exercised  not  only  in  defining  the  truths 
of  Faith,  and  in  determining  whatever  controversies  may 
arise  in  relation  to  them,  but  also  in  warning  the  Flock  of 
Christ  by  seasonable  admonitions,  against  whatever  might 
interfere  with  the  purity  of  Christian  Morals,  and  by  rebuke 
and  reprehension,  when  they  are  found  necessary  for  the 
correction  of  abuses.  “Obey  your  Prelates,”  says  St.  Paul, 
“and  be  subject  to  them;  for  they  watch,  as  having  to  render 
an  account  for  your  souls,  that  they  may  do  this  with  joy, 
and  not  with  grief.  For  this  is  not  expedient  for  you.”18  We 
cheerfully  acknowledge,  Venerable  and  Beloved  Brethren, 
the  general  and  willing  acceptance  by  you  of  this  impor¬ 
tant  principle  of  a  living,  guiding  authority,  which  distin¬ 
guishes  the  Church  as  a  divine  Institution,  from  the  various 
sects  that  surround  her.  We  wish,  however,  to  impress 
upon  the  minds  of  all  our  spiritual  children  the  obligation 
imposed  on  them  of  obeying  their  respective  Prelates — each 
in  his  own  Diocese — by  receiving  their  directions  as  the  ex¬ 
pression  of  the  Authority  which  Christ  has  established  in 
His  Church.  So  long  as  such  directions  are  not  set  aside 
by  superior  authority,  they  are  to  be  received  as  a  rule  of 
conduct;  nor  can  they  be  evaded  without  transgressing  the 
Apostolic  precept,  “Obey  your  Prelates.”  No  motive  de¬ 
rived  from  the  possible  misconception  of  the  nature  of  that 
which  is  forbidden,  or  from  the  real  or  supposed  difference 

17  Ephes.  iv.  5. 


is  Heb.  xiii.  17, 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


205 


of  opinion — the  action  or  inaction  of  other  Prelates — will 
excuse  the  Catholic  from  the  crime  of  disobedience  towards 
his  own  Bishop,  if  he  refuse  to  be  guided  by  him,  and  pre¬ 
sume  to  dictate  when  it  is  his  duty  to  obey.  Hence  when  we 
warn  you,  either  collectively,  as  in  the  present  instance,  or 
singly  in  our  respective  Dioceses,  to  avoid  secret  societies 
and  all  associations  which  we  deem  unlawful,  you  cannot, 
on  the  peril  of  your  souls,  disregard  our  admonitions:  be¬ 
cause  the  authority  we  exercise  in  such  cases  is  that  of  Him 
who  has  said:  “He  who  hears  you  hears  Me,  and  he  who 
despises  you  despises  Me;  and  he  that  despises  Me  despises 
Him  that  sent  Me.”19 

III.  Relations  of  the  Church  to  the  State. 

The  enemies  of  the  Church  fail  not  to  represent  her 
claims  as  incompatible  with  the  independence  of  the  Civil 
Power,  and  her  action  as  impeding  the  exertions  of  the  State 
to  promote  the  well-being  of  society.  So  far  from  these 
charges  being  founded  in  fact,  the  authority  and  influence 
of  the  Church  will  be  found  to  be  the  most  efficacious  sup¬ 
port  of  the  temporal  authority  by  which  society  is  governed. 
The  Church,  indeed,  does  not  proclaim  the  absolute  and  en¬ 
tire  independence  of  the  Civil  Power,  because  it  teaches  with 
the  Apostle,  that  “all  Power  is  of  God;”  that  the  temporal 
magistrate  is  His  minister,  and  that  the  power  of  the  sword 
he  wields  is  a  delegated  exercise  of  authority  committed  to 
him  from  on  high.20  For  the  children  of  the  Church  obe¬ 
dience  to  the  Civil  Power  is  not  a  submission  to  force  which 
may  not  be  resisted;  nor  merely  the  compliance  with  a  con¬ 
dition  for  peace  and  security;  but  a  religious  duty  founded 
on  obedience  to  God,  by  whose  authority  the  Civil  Magis¬ 
trate  exercises  his  power.  This  power,  however,  as  subor¬ 
dinate  and  delegated,  must  always  be  exercised  agreeably 
to  God’s  Law.  In  prescribing  anything  contrary  to  that  Law 
the  Civil  Power  transcends  its  authority,  and  has  no  claim 
on  the  obedience  of  the  citizen.  Never  can  it  be  lawful  to 
disobey  God,  as  the  Apostles,  Peter  and  John,  so  explicitly 
declared  before  the  tribunal  which  sat  in  judgment  on  them: 


19  Luke  x.  1. 


zo  Rom.  xiii.  1-5. 


206  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

“If  it  be  just  in  sight  of  God  to  hear  you  rather  than  God, 
judge  ye.”21  This  undeniable  principle  does  not,  however, 
entail  the  same  consequences  in  the  Catholic  system  as  in 
those  of  the  sects.  In  these,  the  individual  is  the  ultimate 
judge  of  what  the  law  of  God  commands  or  forbids,  and  is 
consequently  liable  to  claim  the  sanction  of  the  higher  law, 
for  what  after  all  may  be,  and  often  is,  but  the  suggestions 
of  an  undisciplined  mind,  or  an  over-heated  imagination. 
Nor  can  the  Civil  Government  be  expected  to  recognize  an 
authority  which  has  no  warrant  for  its  character  as  divine, 
and  no  limits  in  its  application,  without  exposing  the  State 
to  disorder  and  anarchy.  The  Catholic  has  a  guide  in  the 
Church,  as  a  divine  Institution,  which  enables  him  to  dis¬ 
criminate  between  what  the  Law  of  God  forbids  or  allows; 
and  this  authority  the  State  is  bound  to  recognize  as  supreme 
in  its  sphere — of  moral,  no  less  than  dogmatic  teaching. 
There  may,  indeed,  be  instances  in  which  individual  Cath¬ 
olics  will  make  a  misapplication  of  the  principle;  or  in 
which,  while  the  principle  of  obedience  to  Civil  Authority 
is  recognized  as  of  divine  obligation,  the  seat  of  that  au¬ 
thority  may  be  a  matter  of  doubt,  by  reason  of  the  clashing 
opinions  that  prevail  in  regard  to  this  important  fact.  The 
Church  does  not  assume  to  decide  such  matters  in  a  tem¬ 
poral  order,  as  she  is  not  the  judge  of  civil  controversies, 
although  she  always,  when  invited  to  do  so,  has  endeavored 
to  remove  the  misconceptions  from  which  disputes  so  often 
arise,  and  to  consult  for  every  interest  while  maintaining 
the  peace  of  society  and  the  rights  of  justice. 

While  cheerfully  recognizing  the  fact,  that  hitherto  the 
General  and  State  Governments  of  our  country,  except  in 
some  brief  intervals  of  excitement  and  delusion,  have  not 
interfered  with  our  ecclesiastical  organization  or  civil  rights, 
we  still  have  to  lament  that  in  many  of  the  States  we  are  not 
as  yet  permitted  legally,  to  make  those  arrangements  for  the 
security  of  Church  Property,  which  are  in  accordance  with 
the  canons  and  discipline  of  the  Catholic  Church.  In  some 
of  the  States  we  gratefully  acknowledge  that  all  is  granted 
in  this  regard  that  we  could  reasonably  ask  for.  The  right 
of  the  Church  to  possess  property,  whether  churches,  resi- 


21  Acts  iv.  19. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


207 


dences  for  the  clergy,  cemeteries,  or  school-houses,  asylums, 
etc.,  cannot  be  denied  without  depriving  her  of  a  necessary 
means  of  promoting  the  end  for  which  she  has  been  estab¬ 
lished.  We  are  aware  of  the  alleged  grounds  for  this  refusal 
to  recognize  the  Church  in  her  corporate  capacity,  unless  on 
the  condition,  that,  in  the  matter  of  the  tenure  of  ecclesiasti¬ 
cal  property,  she  conform  to  the  general  laws  providing  for 
this  object.  These  laws,  however,  are  for  the  most  part 
based  on  principles  which  she  cannot  accept,  without  de¬ 
parting  from  her  practice  from  the  beginning,  as  soon  as 
she  was  permitted  to  enjoy  liberty  of  worship.  They  are  the 
expression  of  a  distrust  of  ecclesiastical  power,  as  such;  and 
are  the  fruit  of  the  misrepresentations  which  have  been 
made  of  the  action  of  the  Church  in  past  ages.  As  well 
might  the  civil  power  prescribe  to  her  the  doctrines  she  is  to 
teach  and  the  worship  with  which  she  is  to  honor  God,  as  to 
impose  on  her  a  system  of  holding  her  temporalities,  which 
is  alien  to  her  principles,  and  which  is  borrowed  from  those 
who  have  rejected  her  authority.  Instead  of  seeking  to  dis¬ 
prove  the  various  reasons  alleged  for  this  denial  of  the 
Church’s  rights  in  some  of  the  States,  we  content  ourselves 
with  the  formal  protest  we  hereby  enter  against  it;  and 
briefly  remark,  that  even  in  the  supposition,  which  we  by 
no  means  admit,  that  such  denial  was  the  result  of  legiti¬ 
mate  motives,  the  denial  itself  is  incompatible  with  the  full 
measure  of  Ecclesiastical  or  Religious  Liberty,  which  we  are 
supposed  to  enjoy. 

Nor  is  this  an  unimportant  matter,  or  one  which  has  not 
practical  results  of  a  most  embarrassing  character.  Not  only 
are  we  obliged  to  place  church  property  in  conditions  of 
extreme  hazard,  because  not  permitted  to  manage  our 
Church  temporalities  on  Catholic  principles;  but  in  at  least 
one  of  these  United  States — Missouri — laws  have  been 
passed  by  which  all  Church  property,  not  held  by  corpora¬ 
tions,  is  subjected  to  taxation;  and  the  avowed  object  of  this 
discriminating  legislation,  is  hostility  to  the  Catholic  Church. 
In  concluding  these  remarks,  we  merely  refer  to  the  attempt 
made  in  that  State  to  make  the  exercise  of  ecclesiastical 
ministry  depend  on  a  condition  laid  down  by  the  civil 
power. 


208  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

IV.  Aid  for  the  Pope. 

When  last  assembled  in  Plenary  Council,  we  called  on 
you  to  aid  the  Holy  Father,  by  your  contributions,  and  you 
generously  responded  to  our  appeal.  Since  then  the  richest 
and  most  fertile  portions  of  the  States  of  the  Church  have 
been  wrested  from  him  by  the  hands  of  violence,  and  his 
position  has  become  still  more  critical  and  embarrassed. 
In  order  to  enable  him  to  assist  those  who  are  dependent  on 
him,  and  to  carry  on  the  affairs  of  the  Universal  Church,  it 
is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  children  of  the  Church  in 
all  parts  of  the  world  should  come  to  his  help.  We  have 
therefore  felt  it  to  be  our  duty  to  direct  that  an  annual  col¬ 
lection  be  henceforth  taken  up  in  all  the  Dioceses  in  the 
country,  on  the  Sunday  within  the  Octave  of  the  Feast  of  SS. 
Peter  and  Paul,  or  such  other  Sunday  as  the  Ordinary  may 
direct,  to  be  devoted  to  this  purpose. 

We  need  not  remind  you  that  the  obligation  of  supplying 
the  temporal  wants  of  those  who  minister  to  your  spiritual 
necessities  applies  in  a  special  manner  to  the  Sovereign  Pon¬ 
tiff,  who  necessarily  incurs  great  expenses  in  discharging 
the  duties  of  his  high  office.  We  abstain  from  more  than  an 
allusion  to  the  trials  and  humiliations  to  which  the  political 
changes  in  Italy,  which  have  since  occurred,  have  exposed 
him.  However  much  the  prevalence  of  false  ideas,  and  an 
erroneous  estimate  of  the  real  character  of  the  charges  re¬ 
ferred  to  may  mislead  the  judgment,  all  must  admire  the 
noble  courage  which  the  Holy  Father  has  maintained,  in  the 
midst  of  these  outrages;  as  all  must  be  struck  by  that  visible 
protection  which  Providence  appears  to  have  afforded  him, 
so  that  he  alone  of  all  the  princes  of  Italy  yet  retains  his 
sovereignty  and  his  independence.  The  imminent  dangers, 
to  which  he  has  been  exposed  in  his  long  and  eventful  Pon¬ 
tificate,  have  been  hailed  by  the  enemies  of  the  Church  as  a 
triumph,  and  they  have  awakened  in  the  latter  the  liveliest 
exultation  and  the  most  extravagant  anticipations.  You 
know.  Brethren,  how  fallacious  are  such  expectations,  how 
delusive  such  hopes.  You  need  not  to  be  told,  that  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  the  Church  of  Christ  on  earth  is  one  of  trial  and  en¬ 
durance;  that  the  Spouse  of  Christ  is  never  more  worthy  of 
His  love  than  when  assimilated  to  Him  by  walking  in  His 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


209 


footsteps:22  that  the  temporary  triumph  of  her  enemies  is 
the  forerunner  of  their  ultimate  defeat;  and  that  every  trial 
to  which  she  is  subjected  is  the  preparation  for  her  final 
victory.  The  more  violent  the  storm,  the  more  firmly,  when 
it  shall  have  spent  its  fury,  will  this  tree  of  life  be  found  to 
have  struck  its  roots  into  the  soil,  in  which  the  right  hand 
of  the  Father  hath  planted  it.  A  holy  Pope,  who  filled  the 
chair  of  Peter  in  the  year  494,  wrote  thus  to  the  Greek  Em¬ 
peror  Anastasius:  “What  is  of  divine  institution  may  be 
attacked  by  human  presumption,  but  it  cannot  be  overcome, 
no  matter  how  great  the  power  employed  against  it.  Would 
that  the  impiety  which  impels  them  were  as  innoxious  to  its 
assailants,  as  that  which  God  has  established  is  superior 
to  all  violence.  ‘The  sure  foundation  of  God  standeth  firm.’23 
Does  not  experience  shew  that  the  Church,  when  attacked, 
instead  of  being  overcome,  is  rendered  the  more  invincible 
by  that  which  appeared  to  ensure  its  destruction?”24  Or, 
as  St.  Augustine  forcibly  expresses  the  same  idea;  the 
greater  the  violence  with  which  earthly  vessels  strike  against 
this  rock  the  greater  the  destruction  in  which  they  are  in¬ 
volved. 

How  consoling  and  encouraging  the  fact,  that  we  can 
adopt  this  language,  and  may  learn  from  the  eighteen  cen¬ 
turies  of  her  eventful  existence,  that  every  successive  trial 
of  the  Church  proves  the  truth  of  the  prophet’s  promise: 
“When  thou  shalt  pass  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with 
thee;  and  the  rivers  shall  not  cover  thee:  when  thou  shalt 
walk  through  the  fire,  thou  shalt  not  be  burnt,  and  the  flames 
shall  not  burn  in  thee.”  25  “O  poor  little  one,  tossed  with 
tempest  without  all  comfort;  behold  I  will  lay  thy  stones  in 
order,  and  will  lay  thy  foundations  with  sapphires.  And  I 
will  make  thy  bulwarks  of  jasper,  and  thy  gates  of  graven 
stones,  and  all  thy  borders  of  desirable  stones.  All  thy  chil¬ 
dren  shall  be  taught  of  the  Lord,  and  great  shall  be  the  peace 

22  Peter  li.  21.  23  2  Tim.  ii.  19. 

24  Impeti  possunt  humanis  praesumptionibus  qute  divino  sunt  judicio  consti¬ 
tute :  vinci  autem  quorumlibet  potestate  non  possunt.  Atque  utinam  sic  contra 
nitentibus  perniciosa  non  sit  audacia,  quemadmodum  quod  ab  ipso  sacrae  Re- 
ligionis  Auctore  praeflxum  est,  non  potest  ulla  virtute  convelli.  Firmamentum 
enim  Dei  stat.  Num  quidnam  cum  aliquibus  infesta  Religio  est,  quantacunque 
potuit  novitate  superari,  et  non  magis  haec  invicta  permansit  quo  aestimata 
est  posse  succumbere? — Gelasius  ad  Anastasium.  25  Isaias  xliii.  2. 


210  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

of  thy  children.  And  thou  shalt  be  founded  in  justice;  de¬ 
part  far  from  oppression,  for  thou  shalt  not  fear:  and  from 
terror,  for  it  shall  not  come  near  thee.  No  weapon  that  is 
formed  against  thee  shall  prosper,  and  every  tongue  that 
resists  thee  in  judgment,  thou  shalt  condemn.”  26 

V.  The  Sacrament  of  Matrimony. 

To  that  sacrament  of  the  Church  which  is  highest  in  its 
typical  signification — the  sacrament  of  matrimony — we  feel 
it  our  duty  to  direct  in  a  particular  manner  your  attention. 
From  the  beginning,  as  we  learn  from  St.  Paul,  the  union  of 
man  and  woman  was  a  great  mystery  or  sacrament;  because, 
from  the  beginning,  it  prefigured  the  union  of  Christ  with 
His  Church.27  In  nothing  perhaps  is  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit  of  Truth  more  evident  in  the  teaching  of  the  Church, 
than  in  the  care  with  which  she  has  protected  this  “great 
sacrament,”  which,  by  so  many,  agreeably  to  what  St.  Paul 
had  foretold,28  was  stigmatized  as  unlawful,  while  by  others 
it  was  unduly  exalted  above  sacred  virginity,  contrary  to 
the  express  teaching  of  Christ 29  and  his  inspired  Apostle.30 
The  holiness  of  Christian  matrimony  is  connected  with  our 
most  sacred  associations  and  duties;  and  it  cannot  be  lost 
sight  of  in  however  small  degree,  without  entailing  the 
most  serious  consequences.  The  Church  has  shown  in  refer¬ 
ence  to  this  subject,  a  spirit  of  watchfulness  and  solicitude, 
which  alone  would  entitle  her  to  the  gratitude  of  man, 
and  cause  her  to  be  regarded  as  the  most  faithful  guardian 
of  public  and  private  morality.  Many  of  the  innumerable 
contests  in  which  she  was  compelled  to  engage  with  the 
depositaries  of  the  Civil  Power,  during  the  middle  ages, 
were  in  defence  of  the  stability  and  sanctity  of  the  marriage- 
tie;  and,  at  a  later  period,  she  preferred  to  see  England  torn 
from  her  side,  rather  than  yield  compliance  with  the  will 
of  a  monarch,  who  sacrificed  his  country’s  faith  to  his  un¬ 
bridled  passions.  In  this  matter  she  knew  no  distinction 
between  the  private  man  and  the  monarch;  contrary  to 
what  an  apologist  for  the  worst  passions  and  most  cruel 
deeds  of  this  unhappy  Ruler  insists  should  have  been  her 

26  Isaias  liv.  11,  12,  13,  14,  17. 

27  Eph.  v.  32.  28  1  Tim.  Iv.  3.  29  Matt.  xlx.  11,  12.  30  1  Cor.  vii.  29-40. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


211 


line  of  conduct.81  Even  in  our  own  days,  her  conservative 
authority  has  been  exerted  in  the  same  cause;  and  the  anger 
of  the  first  Napoleon  was  incurred  by  the  refusal  of  Pius 
VII.,  of  holy  memory,  to  declare  invalid  a  marriage  con¬ 
tracted  between  that  Ruler’s  brother  and  a  Protestant  lady 
of  the  city  in  which  we  are  now  assembled.  When  this  same 
monarch  sought  to  break  his  first  faith,  he  was  obliged  to 
have  recourse  to  an  extinct  tribunal  of  the  diocese  of  Paris 
— resuscitated  for  that  special  purpose, — which  presumed  to 
decide  a  question  which  the  wisdom  of  the  Holy  See  has  re¬ 
served  for  its  own  exclusive  jurisdiction. 

We  recall  these  facts,  because  they  most  strongly  express 
the  principle  of  the  Church  in  regard  to  matrimony,  and 
must  be  regarded  by  every  well  regulated  mind  as  among 
the  brightest  jewels  of  her  crown.  We  recall  them,  also, 
in  order  to  enforce  our  solemn  admonition  to  our  flocks,  to 
give  no  ear  to  the  false  and  degrading  theories  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  matrimony,  which  are  boldly  put  forward  by  the 
enemies  of  the  Church.  According  to  these  theories,  mar¬ 
riage  is  a  mere  civil  contract,  which  the  Civil  Power  is  to 
regulate,  and  from  which  an  injured  or  dissatisfied  party 
may  release  himself  or  herself  by  the  remedy  of  divorce, 
so  as  to  be  able  lawfully  to  contract  new  engagements.  This 
is  in  evident  contradiction  to  the  words  of  Christ:  “What 
God  has  joined  together,  let  no  man  put  asunder.’’ 32  As  the 
guardian  of  God’s  holy  Law,  the  Church  condemns  this  false 
theory,  from  which  would  follow  a  successive  polygamy, 
no  less  opposed  to  the  unity  and  stability  of  Christian  mar¬ 
riage  than  that  simultaneous  polygamy,  which,  to  the  scan¬ 
dal  of  Christendom,  is  found  within  our  borders.  No  State 
law  can  authorize  divorce,  so  as  to  permit  the  parties  di¬ 
vorced  to  contract  new  engagements;  and  every  such  new 
engagement,  contracted  during  the  joint  lives  of  the  parties 
so  divorced,  involves  the  crime  of  adultery.  We  refer  with 
pain  to  the  scandalous  multiplication  of  these  unlawful  sep¬ 
arations,  which,  more  than  any  other  cause,  are  sapping 
the  foundations  of  morality  and  preparing  society  for  an 
entire  dissolution  of  the  basis  on  which  it  rests. 

If  so  many  marriages  become  unhappy,  and  the  bond 

3i  Froude,  1  vol.,  chap.  2,  p.  132,  American  edition. 


32  Matt.  xix.  6. 


212  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

which  unites  the  married  couple  prove  so  often  a  galling 
yoke,  this  is  to  be  attributed,  in  most  instances,  to  the  neglect 
and  disregard  of  the  Church’s  laws  in  reference  to  this  sub¬ 
ject.  These,  as  you  know,  forbid  marriage  between  persons 
related  to  each  other  in  certain  degrees  of  consanguinity 
and  aflinity,  as  also  between  Catholics  and  non-Catholics. 
Whatever  exceptions  may  be  found  to  the  general  observa¬ 
tion  as  to  the  result  of  such  unions,  they  are  in  principle 
condemned  by  the  Church;  and  that  from  the  most  serious 
motives;  which  in  the  case  of  consanguinity,  are  founded 
in  well  ascertained  physiological  principles;  in  the  case  of 
allinity,  in  the  danger  to  which  possible  unions  may  place 
parties  who  are  necessarily  brought  into  fraternal  relations; 
and  in  the  case  of  mixed  marriages,  to  the  danger  of  per¬ 
version,  to  which  the  Catholic  party  and  the  offspring  of 
such  marriages  are  exposed. 

But  something  more  than  the  observance  of  these  laws 
of  the  Church  in  relation  to  marriage  is  required  in  order 
that  Christians  should  discharge  their  entire  duty,  when 
about  to  enter  the  conjugal  state.  Its  sacred  character,  and 
the  obligations  towards  God’s  society  which  it  imposes, 
should  always  be  kept  in  mind.  Purity  of  life,  and  affection 
that  has  better  and  more  lasting  grounds  than  the  impulse 
of  passion,  are  the  only  proper  dispositions  for  entering 
upon  a  state  of  life  which  death  alone  can  change,  and  which 
involves  so  many  important  consequences  from  time  and 
eternity. 

“Who  (asks  Tertullian)  can  express  the  happiness  of  that 
marriage  which  the  Church  approves,  which  sacrifice  (the 
Mass)  confirms,  and  which  blessing  seals — angels  announce 
it,  and  the  Father  ratifies?”  33 

Bearing  in  mind  the  sanctity  of  Marriage,  and  the  time- 
honored  usages  of  the  Church  in  the  administration  of  the 
Sacrament,  we  cannot  too  strongly  urge  upon  you  the  im¬ 
portance  of  contracting  it  before  the  Altar  of  God,  and 
with  the  Marriage  Mass,  so  as  to  receive  that  especial  bless¬ 
ing  which  carries  with  it  so  many  graces,  to  enable  those 
who  enter  upon  this  holy  state  to  fulfil  its  most  important 
duties. 


33  Tert.  ad  uxorem,  lib.  II.,  cap.  ult. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


213 


VI.  On  Books  and  Newspapers — The  Press. 

The  Council  of  Trent 34  requires,  that  all  books  which 
treat  of  Religion  should  be  submitted  before  publication  to 
the  Ordinary  of  the  Diocese  in  which  they  are  to  be  pub¬ 
lished,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  his  sanction,  so  as  to 
assure  the  faithful  that  they  contain  nothing  contrary  to 
faith  or  morals.  This  law  is  still  of  force;  and  in  the  former 
Plenary  Council  its  observance  was  urged,  and  the  Bishops 
were  exhorted  to  approve  of  no  book  which  had  not  been 
previously  examined  by  themselves,  or  by  clergymen  ap¬ 
pointed  by  them  for  that  purpose,  and  to  confine  such  ap¬ 
probation  to  works  published  in  their  respective  dioceses. 
The  faithful  should  be  aware  that  such  approbation  is 
rather  of  a  negative  than  of  a  positive  character;  that  it  by 
no  means  imparts  to  the  statements  or  sentiments  such  works 
may  contain  any  episcopal  sanction;  but  merely  guarantees 
them  as  free  from  errors  in  faith  or  morals. 

In  many  also  of  our  dioceses  there  are  published  Catholic 
Papers,  mostly  of  a  religious  character;  and  many  of  such 
papers  bear  upon  them  the  statement  that  they  are  the  “or¬ 
gans”  of  the  Bishop  of  the  diocese  in  which  they  are  pub¬ 
lished,  and  sometimes  of  other  Bishops  in  whose  dioceses 
they  circulate.  We  cheerfully  acknowledge  the  services 
the  Catholic  Press  has  rendered  to  Religion,  as  also  the  dis¬ 
interestedness  with  which,  in  most  instances,  it  has  been  con¬ 
ducted,  although  yielding  to  publishers  and  editors  a  very 
insufficient  return  for  their  labors.  We  exhort  the  Catholic 
community  to  extend  to  these  publications  a  more  liberal 
support,  in  order  that  they  may  be  enabled  to  become  more 
worthy  the  great  cause  they  advocate. 

We  remind  them,  that  the  power  of  the  press  is  one 
of  the  most  striking  features  of  modern  society;  and  that  it 
is  our  duty  to  avail  ourselves  of  this  mode  of  making  known 
the  truths  of  our  Religion,  and  removing  the  misapprehen¬ 
sions  which  so  generally  prevail  in  regard  to  them.  If  many 
of  these  papers  are  not  all  that  we  would  wish  them  to  be, 
it  will  be  frequently  found,  that  the  real  cause  of  their  short¬ 
comings  is  the  insufficient  support  they  receive  from  the 
Catholic  Public.  Supply  and  demand  act  and  react  on  each 

34  Sess.  IV.  Dec.  de  editione  et  usu  sacrorum  librorum. 


214  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

other;  and  if  in  many  instances  the  former  produces  the 
latter,  in  regard  at  least  to  Catholic  publications,  demand 
must  precede  supply.  We  also  wish  to  guard  against  the 
misapprehension,  which  frequently  arises  from  the  Bishop’s 
name  being  connected  with  such  papers,  in  so  far  as  they 
are  recognized  as  “organs,”  that  is,  as  mediums  through 
which  the  Ordinary  communicates  with  his  diocesans.  This 
circumstance  gives  no  sanction  to  the  articles  which  appear 
in  such  papers,  other  than  they  may  derive  from  the  name 
of  the  writer  when  given:  still  less  does  it  identify  the 
Bishop  with  the  paper,  so  as  to  justify  the  conclusion  that 
whatever  appears  in  it  has  his  sanction  and  authority.  It 
merely  designates  the  paper  as  one  in  which  the  Bishop  will 
cause  to  be  inserted  such  official  documents  as  he,  from  time 
to  time,  may  have  to  publish,  and  in  regard  to  which  it  is  ob¬ 
viously  desirable  that  there  should  be  some  regular  mode  of 
communication. 

In  connection  with  this  matter  we  earnestly  recommend 
to  the  Faithful  of  our  charge  the  Catholic  Publication 
Society,  lately  established  in  the  City  of  New  York  by  a 
zealous  and  devoted  clergyman.  Besides  the  issuing  of  short 
tracts,  with  which  this  Society  has  begun,  and  which  may 
be  so  usefully  employed  to  arrest  the  attention  of  many 
whom  neither  inclination  nor  leisure  will  allow  to  read 
larger  works,  this  Society  contemplates  the  publication  of 
Catholic  Books,  according  as  circumstances  may  permit, 
and  the  interests  of  Religion  appear  to  require.  From  the 
judgment  and  good  taste  evinced  in  the  composition  and 
selection  of  such  tracts  and  books  as  have  already  been 
issued  by  this  Society,  we  are  encouraged  to  hope  that  it 
will  be  eminently  effective  in  making  known  the  truths  of 
our  Holy  Religion,  and  dispelling  the  prejudices  which  are 
mainly  owing  to  want  of  information  on  the  part  of  so  many 
of  our  fellow-citizens.  For  this,  it  is  necessary  that  a  gen¬ 
erous  co-operation  be  given,  both  by  clergy  and  laity,  to 
the  undertaking,  which  is  second  to  none  in  importance, 
among  the  subsidiary  aids  which  the  inventions  of  modern 
times  supply  to  our  Ministry  for  the  diffusion  of  Catholic 
Truth. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


215 


VII.  Education  of  Youth. 

We  recur  to  the  subject  of  the  education  of  youth,  to 
which,  in  the  former  Plenary  Council,  we  already  directed 
your  attention,  for  the  purpose  of  reiterating  the  admoni¬ 
tion  we  then  gave,  in  regard  to  the  establishment  and  sup¬ 
port  of  Parochial  Schools;  and  of  renewing  the  expression 
of  our  conviction,  that  religious  teaching  and  religious 
training  should  form  part  of  every  system  of  school  educa¬ 
tion.  Every  day’s  experience  renders  it  evident,  that  to  de¬ 
velop  the  intellect  and  store  it  with  knowledge,  while  the 
heart  and  its  affections  are  left  without  the  control  of  reli¬ 
gious  principle,  sustained  by  religious  practices,  is  to  mistake 
the  nature  and  object  of  education;  as  well  as  to  prepare  for 
parent  and  child  the  most  bitter  disappointment  in  the 
future,  and  for  society  the  most  disastrous  results.  We 
wish  also  to  call  attention  to  a  prevalent  error  on  the  subject 
of  the  education  of  youth,  from  which  parents  of  the  best 
principles  are  not  always  exempt.  Naturally  desiring  the 
advancement  of  their  children,  in  determining  the  educa¬ 
tion  they  will  give  them,  they  not  unfrequently  consult  their 
wishes,  rather  than  their  means,  and  the  probable  position 
of  their  children  in  mature  age.  Education,  to  be  good, 
need  not  necessarily  be  either  high  or  ornamental,  in  the 
studies  or  accomplishments  it  embraces.  These  things  are 
in  themselves  unobjectionable;  and  they  may  be  suitable 
and  advantageous  or  otherwise,  according  to  circumstances. 
Prepare  your  children  for  the  duties  of  the  state  or  con¬ 
dition  of  life  they  are  likely  to  be  engaged  in:  do  not  ex¬ 
haust  your  means  in  bestowing  on  them  an  education  that 
may  unfit  them  for  these  duties.  This  would  be  a  sure 
source  of  disappointment  and  dissatisfaction,  both  for  your¬ 
selves  and  for  them.  Accustom  them  from  their  earliest 
years  to  habits  of  obedience,  industry,  and  thrift:  and  deeply 
impress  on  their  minds  the  great  principle,  that  happiness 
and  success  in  life,  as  well  as  acceptance  with  God,  do  not 
so  much  depend  on  the  station  we  fill,  as  on  the  fidelity  with 
which  we  discharge  its  duties.  Teach  them,  that  the  ground¬ 
work  of  true  happiness  must  be  placed  in  habitual  and 
cheerful  submission  of  our  wills  to  the  dispensations  of 


216 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


Providence,  who  has  wisely  consulted  for  the  happiness  of 
all,  without,  however,  bestowing  on  all  an  equal  share  of 
the  goods  of  fortune. 

VIII.  Catholic  Protectories  and  Industrial  Schools. 

Connected  with  this  subject  of  education,  is  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  Protectories  and  Industrial  Schools  for  the 
correction  or  proper  training  of  youth,  which  has  of  late 
years  attracted  universal  attention.  It  is  a  melancholy  fact, 
and  a  very  humiliating  avowal  for  us  to  make,  that  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  idle  and  vicious  youth  of  our  prin¬ 
cipal  cities  are  the  children  of  Catholic  parents.  Whether 
from  poverty  or  neglect,  the  ignorance  in  which  so  many 
parents  are  involved  as  to  the  true  nature  of  education,  and 
of  their  duties  as  Christian  parents,  or  the  associations 
which  our  youth  so  easily  form  with  those  who  encourage 
them  to  disregard  parental  admonition;  certain  it  is,  that  a 
large  number  of  Catholic  parents  either  appear  to  have  no 
idea  of  the  sanctity  of  the  Christian  family,  and  of  the 
responsibility  imposed  on  them  of  providing  for  the  moral 
training  of  their  offspring,  or  fulfil  this  duty  in  a  very  im¬ 
perfect  manner.  Day  after  day,  these  unhappy  children  are 
caught  in  the  commission  of  petty  crimes,  which  render 
them  amenable  to  the  public  authorities;  and,  day  after 
day,  are  they  transferred  by  hundreds  from  the  sectarian 
reformatories  in  which  they  have  been  placed  by  the  courts, 
to  distant  localities,  where  they  are  brought  up  in  ignorance 
of,  and  most  commonly  in  hostility  to,  the  Religion  in  which 
they  had  been  baptized.  The  only  remedy  for  this  great 
and  daily  augmenting  evil  is,  to  provide  Catholic  Protec¬ 
tories  or  Industrial  Schools,  to  which  such  children  may  be 
sent;  and  where,  under  the  only  influence  that  is  known  to 
have  really  reached  the  roots  of  vice,  the  youthful  culprit 
may  cease  to  do  evil  and  learn  to  do  good.  We  rejoice  that 
in  some  of  our  dioceses — would  that  we  could  say  in  all! — 
a  beginning  has  been  made  in  this  good  work;  and  we  can¬ 
not  too  earnestly  exhort  our  Venerable  Brethren  of  the 
Clergy  to  bring  this  matter  before  their  respective  flocks, 
to  endeavor  to  impress  on  Christian  parents  the  duty  of 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1806 


217 


guarding  their  children  from  the  evils  above  referred  to, 
and  to  invite  them  to  make  persevering  and  effectual  efforts 
for  the  establishment  of  Institutions,  wherein,  under  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  religious  teachers,  the  waywardness  of  youth 
may  be  corrected,  and  good  seed  planted  in  the  soil  in 
which,  while  men  slept,  the  enemy  had  sowed  tares. 

IX.  Vocations  to  the  Priesthood. 

We  continue  to  feel  the  want  of  zealous  priests,  in  suf¬ 
ficient  number  to  supply  the  daily  increasing  necessities  of 
our  dioceses.  While  we  are  gratified  to  know,  that  in  some 
parts  of  our  country  the  number  of  youths  who  offer  them¬ 
selves  for  the  Ecclesiastical  state  is  rapidly  increasing,  we 
are  obliged  to  remark,  that  in  the  other  parts,  notwithstand¬ 
ing  all  the  efforts  and  sacrifices  which  have  been  made  for 
this  object,  and  the  extraordinary  encouragements  which 
have  been  held  out  to  youthful  aspirants  to  the  ministry, 
in  our  Preparatory  and  Theological  Seminaries,  the  num¬ 
ber  of  such  as  have  presented  themselves  and  persevered  in 
their  vocations  has  hitherto  been  lamentably  small.  What¬ 
ever  may  be  the  cause  of  this  unwillingness  to  enter  the 
sacred  ministry  on  the  part  of  our  youth,  it  cannot  be  at¬ 
tributed  to  any  deficiency  of  ours  in  such  efforts  as  circum¬ 
stances  have  enabled  us  to  make.  We  fear  that  the  fault 
lies,  in  great  part,  with  many  parents,  who,  instead  of  foster¬ 
ing  the  desire,  so  natural  to  the  youthful  heart,  of  dedicat¬ 
ing  itself  to  the  service  of  God’s  sanctuary,  but  too  often 
impart  to  their  children  their  own  worldly-mindedness, 
and  seek  to  influence  their  choice  of  a  state  in  life,  by  un¬ 
duly  exaggerating  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  the  priestly 
calling,  and  painting  in  too  glowing  colors  the  advantages 
of  a  secular  life.  To  such  parents  we  would  most  earnestly 
appeal;  imploring  them  not  to  interfere  with  the  designs  of 
God  on  their  children,  when  they  perceive  in  them  a  grow¬ 
ing  disposition  to  attach  themselves  to  the  service  of  the 
Altar.  If  God  rewards  the  youthful  piety  of  your  sons  by 
calling  them  to  minister  in  His  sanctuary,  the  highest  priv¬ 
ilege  He  confers  on  man,  do  not  endeavor  to  give  their 
thoughts  another  direction.  Do  not  present  to  your  chil- 


218  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

dren  the  priesthood  in  any  other  light  than  as  a  sublime 
and  holy  state,  having,  indeed,  most  sacred  duties  and  most 
serious  obligations,  but  having  also  the  promise  of  God’s 
grace  to  strengthen  and  sustain  human  weakness  in  their 
fulfilment,  and  the  divine  blessing,  here  and  hereafter,  as 
their  reward.  To  those  whom  God  invites  to  co-operate 
with  Him,  in  the  most  divine  of  all  works,  the  salvation  of 
souls,  the  words  of  Christ  to  His  Apostles  are  applicable: 
“Amen,  I  say  to  you,  that  you  who  have  followed  me,  in 
the  regeneration,  when  the  Son  of  Man  shall  sit  in  the  seat 
of  His  majesty,  you  also  shall  sit  on  twelve  seats,  judging 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel;  and  every  one  that  hath  left 
house,  or  brother  or  sisters,  or  father  or  mother,  or  wife  or 
children,  or  lands,  for  My  name’s  sake,  shall  receive  a  hun¬ 
dredfold,  and  shall  possess  life  everlasting.” 35 

And  whilst  speaking  to  you  upon  this  subject,  we  would 
renew  our  exhortations  to  the  Faithful,  to  contribute  to  the 
extent  of  their  means  to  the  Diocesan  fund  for  the  support 
of  Ecclesiastical  students.  Situated  as  the  Church  is  in  this 
country,  with  a  Catholic  population  so  rapidly  increasing 
from  emigration,  there  is  no  work  of  charity  that  can  take 
precedence  of  it,  and  none  which  will  bring  so  rich  a 
reward. 

X.  The  Laity. 

We  continue  to  have  great  consolation  in  witnessing 
the  advance  of  Religion  throughout  the  various  Dioceses, 
as  shewn  in  the  multiplication  and  improved  architectual 
character  of  our  churches,  the  increase  of  piety  in  the 
various  congregations,  and  the  numerous  conversions  of  so 
many  who  have  sacrificed  early  prejudices  and  every  con¬ 
sideration  of  their  temporal  interests  and  human  feelings  at 
the  shrine  of  Catholic  Truth.  We  must,  however,  in  all 
candor  say,  that  we  cannot  include  all,  or  indeed  the  greater 
part  of  those  who  compose  our  flocks,  in  this  testimony  to 
fidelity  and  zeal.  Too  many  of  them,  including  not  unfre- 
quently  men  otherwise  of  blameless  lives,  remain  for  years 
estranged  from  the  sacraments  of  the  Church,  although 
they  attend  the  celebration  of  the  divine  Mysteries,  and 
listen  to  the  preaching  of  God’s  word  with  an  earnestness 

35  Matt.  xix.  27,  28. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


219 


and  attention  in  themselves  deserving  of  all  praise.  There 
are,  indeed,  others  who,  carried  away  by  the  impulse  of 
passion,  and  but  too  easily  influenced  by  evil  examples, 
oblige  us  to  rank  them,  as  we  do,  weeping,  after  the  example 
of  the  Apostle,  among  “the  enemies  of  the  Cross  of  Christ, 
whose  end  is  destruction;  whose  God  is  their  belly;  and 
whose  glory  is  in  their  shame;  who  mind  earthly  things.” 36 
It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  injury  these  unworthy  Cath¬ 
olics,  and  especially  those  who  are  the  slaves  of  intem¬ 
perance  and  its  consequent  vices,  inflict  on  the  Church. 
In  the  minds  of  but  too  many  uninformed  and  unreflecting 
persons,  these  evils  are  taken  as  the  confirmation  of  early 
prejudices;  and  the  name  of  God  is  blasphemed  among  the 
nations  by  reason  of  the  evil  acts  of  those  who,  whilst  they 
bear  the  name  of  Catholics,  bring  disgrace  on  their  religion 
by  their  evil  lives.  Willingly  would  we  have  avoided  ref¬ 
erence  to  this  painful  subject;  but  we  are  not  without  hope, 
that  is  our  solemn  protest  against  the  evils  we  deplore  may 
diminish,  if  not  entirely  remove,  the  scandal  which  they 
occasion;  and  that  our  united  remonstrance  may  not  be 
unheeded  by  those  for  whom  “we  watch,  having  to  render 
an  account  of  their  souls:”37  that  they  may  be  roused  from 
the  fatal  lethargy  in  which  they  live,  and,  by  sincere  re¬ 
pentance  and  the  practice  of  every  good  work  compatible 
with  their  condition,  repair,  in  some  measure,  the  scandals 
they  have  given  and  the  injury  they  have  inflicted  on  the 
Church,  by  the  irregularity  of  their  past  lives. 

In  this  connection,  we  consider  it  to  be  our  duty  to  warn 
our  people  against  those  amusements  which  may  easily  be¬ 
come  to  them  an  occasion  of  sin,  and  especially  against 
those  fashionable  dances,  which,  as  at  present  carried  on, 
are  revolting  to  every  feeling  of  delicacy  and  propriety,  and 
are  fraught  with  the  greatest  danger  to  morals.  We  would 
also  warn  them  most  solemnly  against  the  great  abuses 
which  have  sprung  up  in  the  matter  of  Fairs,  Excursions, 
and  Picnics,  in  which,  as  too  often  conducted,  the  name  of 
Charity  is  made  to  cover  up  a  multitude  of  sins.  We  forbid 
all  Catholics  from  having  anything  to  do  with  them,  except 
when  managed  in  accordance  with  the  regulations  of  the 

36  Philipp,  iii.  18,  19. 


37  Heb.  xiii.  17. 


220  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


Ordinary,  and  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  their 
respective  Pastors. 

We  have  noticed,  with  the  most  sincere  satisfaction  and 
gratitude  to  God,  the  great  increase  among  us  of  Societies 
and  Associations,  especially  of  those  composed  of  young 
and  middle-aged  men,  conducted  in  strict  accordance  with 
the  principles  of  the  Catholic  Religion,  and  with  an  im¬ 
mediate  view  to  their  own  sanctification.  We  cannot  but 
anticipate  the  most  beneficial  results  to  the  cause  of  mo¬ 
rality  and  religion  from  the  conduct  and  example  of  those 
who  thus  combine  together,  to  encourage  one  another  in 
the  frequentation  of  the  sacraments,  and  in  works  of  Chris¬ 
tian  charity.  We  urge  their  extension,  and  especially  of 
the  Society  of  St.  Vincent  of  Paul  and  of  Young  Men’s 
Catholic  Associations,  in  all  the  dioceses  and  parishes  of 
the  country,  not  only  as  useful  auxiliaries  to  the  Parochial 
clergy,  in  the  care  of  the  poor,  and  of  destitute  and  vagrant 
children,  but  also  as  one  of  the  most  important  means  of 
diminishing  the  vices  and  scandals  of  which  we  have 
spoken. 

XI.  The  Clergy. 

We  exhort  our  venerable  Brethren  of  the  Clergy,  who 
share  our  cares  and  responsibilities,  to  unremitting  zeal 
in  the  great  work  to  which  they  have  been  called.  Let  them 
honor  their  ministry,  having  ever  before  their  eyes  “the 
High-Priest,  holy,  innocent,  undefiled,  separated  from 
sinners,”38  whose  representatives  they  are.  By  purity  of 
life,  exemplariness  and  devotedness,  let  them  be  “a  pattern 
of  the  flock  from  the  heart,”39 — “the  example  of  the  faithful 
in  word,  in  conversation,  in  charity,  in  faith,  in  chastity”40 
— “giving  no  offence  to  any  man,  that  our  ministry  be  not 
blamed,  but  in  all  things  exhibiting  ourselves  as  the  minis¬ 
ters  of  God;”41  so  that  “when  the  Prince  of  Pastors  shall  ap¬ 
pear,  they  may  receive  a  neverfading  crown  of  glory.”42 


XII.  The  Emancipated  Slaves. 

We  must  all  feel,  beloved  Brethren,  that  in  some  manner 
a  new  and  most  extensive  field  of  charity  and  devotedness 


38  Hob.  vii.  20. 

41  1  Cor.  vi.  3,  4. 


30  1  Peter  v.  3. 


40  1  Tim.  iv.  12. 
42  1  Pet.  v.  4. 


U 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


221 


has  been  opened  to  us,  by  the  emancipation  of  the  immense 
slave  population  of  the  South.  We  could  have  wished,  that 
in  accordance  with  the  action  of  the  Catholic  Church  in 
past  ages,  in  regard  to  the  serfs  of  Europe,  a  more  gradual 
system  of  emancipation  could  have  been  adopted,  so  that 
they  might  have  been  in  some  measure  prepared  to  make 
a  better  use  of  their  freedom,  than  they  are  likely  to  do  now. 
Still  the  evils  which  must  necessarily  attend  upon  the  sud¬ 
den  liberation  of  so  large  a  multitude,  with  their  peculiar 
dispositions  and  habits,  only  make  the  appeal  to  our  Chris¬ 
tian  charity  and  zeal,  presented  by  their  forlorn  condition, 
the  more  forcible  and  imperative. 

We  urge  upon  the  Clergy  and  people  of  our  charge  the 
most  generous  co-operation  with  the  plans  which  may  be 
adopted  by  the  Bishops  of  the  Dioceses  in  which  they  are, 
to  extend  to  them  that  Christian  education  and  moral  re¬ 
straint  which  they  so  much  stand  in  need  of.  Our  only 
regret  in  regard  to  this  matter  is,  that  our  means  and 
opportunity  of  spreading  over  them  the  protecting  and 
salutary  influences  of  our  Holy  Religion,  are  so  restricted. 

XIII.  Religious  Communities. 

We  are  filled  with  sentiments  of  the  deepest  reverence 
for  those  holy  Virgins,  who,  in  our  various  religious  com¬ 
munities,  having  taken  counsel  of  St.  Paul,  have  chosen  the 
better  part,  that  they  may  be  holy  “in  body  and  in  spirit.” 43 
These  serve  God  with  undivided  heart;  and,  like  Mary,  sit 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus  in  devout  contemplation;  or,  like 
Martha,  devote  themselves  to  the  service  of  their  neighbor, 
instructing  youth  or  tending  old  age,  ministering  to  the 
sick,  or  calming  the  remorses  and  encouraging  the  hopes  of 
the  penitent.  To  such  the  prophet’s  words  are  applicable: 
“I  will  give  to  them  in  my  house  and  within  my  walls  a 
place  and  a  name  better  than  sons  and  daughters.” 44  Their 
state  on  earth  is  likened  by  Christ  Himself  to  that  “of 
the  angels  in  heaven;”45  and  to  those  who  embrace  it  is 
promised  a  special  reward  hereafter.  Of  these  virgins 
it  is  written:  “These  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  He 

43  l  Cor.  vii.  34.  44  Isalas  lvl.  5.  45  Matt.  xx.  30. 


222 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


goeth;”46  and  of  these  it  is  said:  “No  man  could  say  the 
canticle,  but  those  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand; — for 
they  are  virgins.” 47  “How  great,  think  you,”  asks  a  devout 
writer  of  the  middle  ages,  commenting  on  these  tests,  “will 
be  the  glory  that  environs  the  Virgins  that  follow  Christ  by 
purity  of  heart  and  mind.  Alone  they  follow  the  Lamb 
whithersoever  He  goeth,  reflecting  this  glory  of  the  Sun  of 
Justice,  as  does  the  Moon  that  of  the  Orb  of  day.  As  the 
moon  outshines  the  stars,  so,  in  that  heavenly  kingdom, 
they  will  shine  more  brightly  than  those  who  have  not 
emulated  their  purity.”48  Great,  indeed,  are  the  privileges 
and  great  the  rewards  promised  to  these  chaste  spouses  of 
Christ;  and  corresponding  is  the  reverence  with  which  they 
have  ever  been  regarded  in  the  Church.  “The  glorious 
fruitfulness  of  our  Mother,  the  Church,”  observes  St. 
Cyprian,  “rejoices  and  exults  in  them;  and  the  more  she 
entwines  of  these  lilies  in  her  crown,  the  deeper  her  joy, 
the  more  intense  her  exultation.  These  we  address,”  con¬ 
tinues  the  Saint,  “these  we  exhort;  using  rather  the  lan¬ 
guage  of  affection  than  of  authority:  not  that  we,  the  hum¬ 
blest,  the  most  deeply  conscious  of  our  own  infirmity,  have 
any  rebuke  to  make,  any  reprehension  to  utter:  but  be¬ 
cause  of  our  obligation  to  be  watchful,  we  are  the  more 
solicitous  to  guard  against  the  enemy  of  the  devil.”49 

We  adopt  this  language  of  the  great  Bishop  and  Martyr 
of  the  third  century.  We  discharge  a  grateful  duty,  in 
rendering  a  public  testimony  to  the  virtue  and  heroism  of 
these  Christian  Virgins;  whose  lives  shed  the  good  odor  of 
Christ  in  every  place,  and  whose  devotedness  and  spirit  of 

46  Apoc.  xiv.  4.  47  Apoc.  xiv.  2,  3. 

48  Quanta  putas  ibi  gloria  fulgebunt  Virgines  Christi,  cordis  simul  et  mentis 
puritate  Christum  sequentes !  Quis  sanctorum  chorus  melius  lunae  comparatur 
quam  Virgines?  Solae  sequuntur  Solem  justitiae,  Christum,  ut  Agnum  Patris, 
quocunque  ierit.  Unde  et  solae  illi  similes  sunt  atque  simillimse.  Honorabuntur 
ergo  prae  caeteris  in  codem  regno  existentibus  splendore  quidem  excellentiori,  sicut 
lunam  videmus  prae  caeteris  sideribus  pra>eminere,  possidebuntque  in  domo 
Domini  locum  meliorem  multo  quam  caeterorum  flliorum  qui  virginitatis  merito 
non  sunt  insignes.  Vitis  Mystica,  Capt.  xxxi.,  inter  Opera  S.  Bernardi,  t.  v.,  p.  125. 

49  Gaudet  per  illas  atque  in  illis  floret  Ecclesiae  matris  gloriosa  faecuiulitas, 
quantoque  plus  copiosa  Virginitas  numero  suo  addit,  tanto  plus  gaudium  mati’is 
augescit.  Ad  has  loquimur;  has  adhortamur  affectione  potiusquam  potestate; 
non  quod  extremi  et  minimi,  et  humilitatis  nostrae  admodum  conscii,  aliquod  ad 
licentiam  eensurae  vindicemus:  sed  quod  ad  solicitudinem  magis  cauti,  plus  de 
diaboli  infestatione  timeamus.  S.  Cyprianus,  De  Disciplina  et  Habitu  Viryinum. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


223 


self-sacrifice  have,  more  perhaps  than  any  other  cause, 
contributed  to  effect  a  favorable  change  in  the  minds  of 
thousands  estranged  from  our  faith.  To  each  of  them,  how¬ 
ever,  we  feel  impelled  to  address  the  words  spoken  to  the 
angel  of  the  Church  of  Philadelphia:  “Hold  fast  that  which 
thou  hast,  that  no  one  take  thy  crown.” 50 

Conclusion. 

We  have  every  confidence,  Venerable  and  dearly  Be¬ 
loved  Brethren,  that  the  Council  which  is  this  day  brought 
to  a  close,  will  exert  a  most  beneficial  influence  in  the  cause 
of  our  Holy  Religion. 

We  have  taken  advantage  of  the  opportunity  of  the 
assembling  of  so  large  a  number  of  Bishops  from  every  part 
of  our  vast  country,  to  enact  such  decrees  as  will  tend  to 
promote  uniformity  of  discipline  and  practice  amongst  us, 
and  to  do  away  with  such  imperfect  observance  of  the  rites 
and  approved  ceremonies  of  the  Church,  as  may  have  been 
made  necessary  by  the  circumstances  of  past  times,  but 
which  no  length  of  prescription  can  ever  consecrate,  and 
thus  to  give  the  services  of  our  Religion  that  beauty,  and 
dignity,  which  belongs  to  them,  and  for  which  we  should 
be  all  so  zealous. 

For  the  furtherance  of  these  important  objects,  we  have 
caused  to  be  drawn  up  a  clear  and  compendious  series  of 
Statements  upon  the  most  essential  points  of  Faith  and 
Morals,  with  which  we  have  embodied  the  decrees  of  the 
Seven  Provincial  Councils  of  Baltimore,  and  of  the  First 
Plenary  Council,  together  with  the  Decrees  enacted  by  us 
in  the  present  Council,  which,  when  they  have  been  ex¬ 
amined  and  approved  of  by  the  Holy  See,  will  form  a  com¬ 
pendium  of  Ecclesiastical  Law,  for  the  guidance  of  our 
Clergy  in  the  exercise  of  their  Holy  Ministry. 

The  result  of  our  labors  when  thus  returned  to  us,  will 
be  promulgated  more  fully  in  our  Provincial  Councils  and 
Diocesan  Synods,  and  we  will  then  take  advantage  of  the 
opportunity  to  bring  more  fully  under  the  notice  of  the 
Clergy,  and  the  people  committed  to  our  pastoral  charge, 
the  details  of  what  we  have  done,  and  the  exact  nature  of 

60  Apoc.  ill.  2. 


224 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


the  means  by  which  we  hope  to  give  increased  efficiency  to 
the  whole  practical  system  of  the  Church  in  this  country. 

We  have  also  recommended  to  the  Holy  See,  the  erec¬ 
tion  of  several  additional  Episcopal  Sees,  and  Vicariates 
Apostolic,  which  are  made  necessary  by  our  rapidly  in¬ 
creasing  Catholic  population,  and  the  great  territorial  ex¬ 
tent  of  many  of  our  present  Dioceses. 

You  will  all  rejoice,  Venerable  and  Beloved  Brethren, 
in  these  evidences  of  the  vitality  and  diffusion  of  our  Holy 
Faith,  in  the  midst  of  the  difficulties  and  evils  that  surround 
us.  We  depend  on  your  fidelity  to  its  sacred  teachings,  and 
your  zealous  co-operation,  to  give  effect  to  our  labors  in 
your  behalf,  that  so,  all  that  has  been  planned  and  done  by 
us,  may  be  to  the  Glory  of  God,  the  Exaltation  of  His  Holy 
Church,  and  the  Salvation  of  Souls  for  which  Christ  died. 

“For  the  rest,  Brethren,  whatsoever  things  are  true, 
whatsoever  modest,  whatsoever  just,  whatsoever  holy, 
whatsoever  lovely,  whatsoever  of  good  fame;  if  there  be 
any  virtue,  if  any  praise  of  discipline,  think  on  these  things. 
The  things  which  you  have  both  learned  and  received,  and 
heard  and  seen, — these  do  ye,  and  the  God  of  Peace  shall 
be  with  you.” 51 

Given  at  Baltimore ,  in  Plenary  Council,  on  the  Feast  of  the 
Maternity  of  our  Lady,  October  the  21st,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  1866. 

■EM.  J.  Spalding,  D.D.,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  Dele¬ 
gate  Apostolic,  President  of  the  Council. 

EF.  N.  Blanchet,  D.D.,  Archbishop  of  Oregon  City. 

EP.  R.  Kenrick,  D.D.,  Archbishop  of  St.  Louis. 

EJ.  S.  Alemany,  D.D.,  Archbishop  of  San  Francisco. 

EJ.  B.  Purcell,  D.D.,  Archbishop  of  Cincinnati. 

EJ.  M.  Odin,  D.D.,  Archbishop  of  New  Orleans. 

EJohn  McCloskey,  D.D.,  Archbishop  of  New  York. 

ERichard  V.  Whelan,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Wheeling. 

EP.  P.  Lefevre,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Zela,  and  Administrator 
of  Detroit. 

EJ.  M.  Henni,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Milwaukee. 

EA.  M.  A.  Blanchet,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Nesqualy. 


61  Philipp,  iv.  8,  9. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1866 


225 


•FA.  Rappe,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Cleveland . 

•FJohn  Timon,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Buffalo. 

*FM.  Demers,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Vancouver's  Island. 

•FM.  De  St.  Palais,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Vincennes. 

•FJ.  B.  Lamy,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Santa  Fe. 

•FJohn  McGill,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Richmond. 

*FJohn  Loughlin,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Brooklyn. 

•FJ.  R.  Bayley,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Newark. 

•FL.  De  Goesbriand,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Burlington. 

F*G.  A.  Carrell,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Covington. 

FT.  Amat,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Monterey  and  Los  Angeles. 
•FA.  Martin,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Nachitoches. 

•FD.  W.  Bacon,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Portland. 

FF.  Baraga,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Marquette. 

•FH.  D.  Juncker,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Alton. 

•FJames  Duggan,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Chicago. 

•F William  H.  Elder,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Natchez. 

•FJ.  H.  Luers,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Fort  Wayne. 

F*P.  N.  Lynch,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Charleston. 

•FF.  P.  McFarland,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Hartford. 

FJ.  M.  O’Gorman,  D.D.,  Vicar  Apostolic  of  Nebraska. 
•FT.  L.  Grace,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  St.  Paul. 

•FJohn  Quinlan,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Mobile. 

FJ.  F.  Wood,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 

•FM.  Domenec,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Pittsburg. 

•FE.  O’Connell,  D.D.,  Vicar  Apostolic  of  Marysville ,  Cali¬ 
fornia. 

•FAug.  Verot,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Savannah. 

•FC.  M.  Dubuis,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Galveston. 

•FP.  J.  Lavialle,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Louisville. 

•FJ.  J.  Conroy,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Albany. 

•FP.  A.  Feehan,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Nashville. 

•FJ.  J.  Williams,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Boston. 

•FJ.  Hennessy,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Dubuque. 

•FS.  H.  Rosecrans,  D.D.,  Auxiliary  Bishop  of  Cincinnati. 

John  D.  Cody,  Administrator  of  Erie,  sede  vacante. 

* 

Ferd.  Coosmans,  S.J.,  Procurator  of  the  Vicar  Apostolic 
of  Kansas. 


CHAPTER  XII 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 

NEARLY  twenty  years  were  to  pass  before  the  Third  Plen¬ 
ary  Council  formally  opened  its  sessions  at  Baltimore 
(November  9,  1884).  Archbishop  Gibbons  was  appointed 
Apostolic  Delegate  for  the  Council  by  Leo  XIII  (January  4, 
1884);  on  March  19,  letters  of  convocation  were  sent  to  the 
American  hierarchy.  The  number  of  prelates  present  at  the 
Council  was  nearly  double  that  of  the  assembly  of  1866.  Four¬ 
teen  archbishops,  sixty  American  bishops  and  five  visiting 
bishops  from  Canada  and  Japan,  and  ninety  theologians  par¬ 
ticipated  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Council.  A  recent  biog¬ 
rapher  of  Cardinal  Gibbons  has  summed  up  the  assembly  as 
follows:  “Many  subjects  were  considered  in  the  Council,  in¬ 
cluding  changes  in  the  discipline  and  administration  of  the 
Church  in  this  country.  The  country  was  making  such  tre¬ 
mendous  strides  forward,  and  Catholicity  was  keeping  pace 
with  it,  that  such  changes  were  demanded.  The  debates  at  the 
sessions  covered  all  phases  of  the  various  questions  discussed. 
Every  member  of  the  Council  was  given  opportunity  to  state 
his  views  freely  without  fear  or  embarrassment.  The  debates 
at  times  became  vigorous,  but  always  the  spirit  of  Christian 
charity  prevailed.  There  was  an  Ireland  in  that  Council,  a 
Ryan,  a  Keane,  a  Spalding,  men  whose  oratorical  ability  held 
the  delegates  bound  by  virtue  of  their  eloquence  and  whose 
arguments  provoked  deep  thought.  With  the  greatest  minds  of 
the  United  States  there,  all  conscious  of  their  responsibility 
before  Almighty  God,  all  loving  the  Church  with  a  loyalty  and 
devotion  intense  in  quality, — the  Council  reflected  in  all  its 
proceedings  the  real  spirit  of  the  Church,  and  its  work  re¬ 
dounded  to  the  greater  honor  and  glory  of  God.  So  successful 
was  it  that  it  was  taken  as  a  model  for  similar  councils  held 
in  Ireland,  Australia  and  other  parts  of  the  world.”  The  Coun¬ 
cil  legislated  for  the  increased  establishment  of  Catholic  paro¬ 
chial  schools  and  reached  the  decision  that  the  time  had 
come  for  the  erection  of  the  Catholic  University  of  America,  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884  surpassed  all 
those  that  preceded  it  by  its  lofty  eloquence  and  by  the  variety 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


227 


of  questions  it  discussed.  Its  broad  and  patriotic  view  of  the 
problems  affecting  American  life  in  general  and  the  high- 
minded  exposition  of  Christian  principles  in  their  relation  to 
civic  affairs  won  for  the  Pastoral  the  praise  of  leaders  of  all 
classes  and  a  profound  respect  and  appreciation  from  Amer¬ 
icans  of  other  creeds.  The  Pastoral  is  taken  from  the  Memorial 
Volume:  A  History  of  the  Third  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore 
(Baltimore,  1885). 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 

(Third  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore) 

The  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  the  United  States  to  the 
clergy  and  laity  of  their  charge. 

The  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  the  United  States ,  in  Third 
Plenary  Council  assembled ,  to  their  clergy  and  faith¬ 
ful  people — “Grace  unto  you  and  peace  from  God  our 
Father ,  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  Venerable 
brethren  of  the  clergy ,  beloved  children  of  the  laity: 

FULL  eighteen  years  have  elapsed  since  our  predecessors 
were  assembled  in  Plenary  Council  to  promote  uni¬ 
formity  of  discipline,  to  provide  for  the  exigencies  of  the 
day,  to  devise  new  means  for  the  maintenance  and  diffu¬ 
sion  of  our  holy  religion,  which  should  be  adequate  to  the 
great  increase  of  the  Catholic  population.  In  the  interval, 
the  prelates,  clergy  and  faithful  have  been  taught  by  a 
wholesome  experience  to  appreciate  the  zeal,  piety  and  pru¬ 
dence  that  inspired  the  decrees  of  those  venerable  Fathers 
and  to  listen  with  cheerful  submission  to  their  authoritative 
voice,  whether  uttered  in  warning,  in  exhortation  or  posi¬ 
tive  enactment.  And  the  whole  American  Church  deeply 
feels  and  cordially  proclaims  her  gratitude  for  the  treasure 
bequeathed  to  us  by  their  wise  and  timely  legislation.  Its 
framers,  in  great  part,  have  gone  before  us  with  the  sign 
of  Faith  and  now  sleep  the  sleep  of  peace.  But  their  work, 
after  following  them  to  the  dread  tribunal  of  the  great 
Judge  to  plead  in  their  behalf  and  insure  their  reward, 
has  remained  upon  earth  a  safe  guide  and  rich  blessing  for 
the  clergy  and  people  of  their  generation. 

Since  that  time,  however,  the  body  of  our  clergy  and 


228  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

religious  has  grown  to  wonderful  dimensions,  our  Catholic 
institutions  have  been  multiplied  tenfold,  with  a  corre¬ 
sponding  increase  in  the  number  of  our  faithful  laity.  The 
territory,  likewise,  over  which  they  are  spread,  has  been 
greatly  enlarged.  The  land  of  the  far  West,  that  was  once 
desolate  and  impassable,  through  God’s  providential  mercy, 
now  rejoices  and  flourishes  like  the  lily.  Under  His  guid¬ 
ing  hand,  it  has  been  taught  to  bud  forth  and  blossom  and 
rejoice  with  joy  and  praise.  The  wilderness  has  exchanged 
its  soltitude  for  the  hum  of  busy  life  and  industry;  and  the 
steps  of  our  missionaries  and  Catholic  settlers  have  in¬ 
variably  either  preceded  or  accompanied  the  westward 
progress  of  civilization.  Forests  have  given  away  to  cities, 
where  Catholic  temples  re-echo  the  praises  of  the  Most 
High,  where  the  priceless  perfume  of  the  “Clean  Oblation,” 
foretold  by  Malachi,  daily  ascends  to  heaven,  and  where  the 
life-giving  sacraments  of  Holy  Church  are  dispensed  by  a 
devoted  clergy.  In  view  of  this  great  progress  of  our  holy 
religion,  this  marvellous  widening  of  the  tabernacles  of 
Jacob,  it  has  been  judged  wise  and  expedient,  if  not  abso¬ 
lutely  necessary,  to  examine  anew  the  legislation  of  our 
predecessors,  not  with  any  purpose  of  radical  change,  much 
less  of  abrogation,  but  to  preserve  and  perfect  its  spirit  by 
adapting  it  to  our  altered  circumstances.  And  as  every  day 
gives  birth  to  new  errors,  and  lapse  of  time  or  distance  of 
place  allows  abuses  to  gradually  creep  into  regular  disci¬ 
pline,  we  have  judged  it  the  duty  of  our  pastoral  office  to 
check  the  latter  by  recalling  and  enforcing  established  law, 
and  to  guard  our  flock  against  the  former  by  timely  words 
of  paternal  admonition. 

Such,  too,  has  been  the  expressed  wish  and  injunction 
of  our  Holy  Father  Leo  XIII,  happily  reigning,  to  whom,  as 
Supreme  Pontiff  and  successor  of  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles, 
by  inherent  right  belongs  the  power  of  convoking  this  our 
Third  National  or  Plenary  Council,  and  of  appointing  (as 
he  has  graciously  done)  an  Apostolic  Delegate  to  preside 
over  its  deliberations. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  that  our  age  has  wit¬ 
nessed  was  the  assembling  by  Pius  IX,  of  happy  memory,  of 
the  General  Council  of  the  Vatican.  It  was  held  three  years 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


229 


after  the  close  of  our  Second  Plenary  Council,  and  all,  or 
nearly  all,  of  its  members,  and  many  besides  of  the  prelates 
now  assembled  in  this  Third  Plenary  Council,  enjoyed  the 
rare  privilege  of  sitting  with  the  other  Princes  of  the  Church 
in  the  only  Ecumenical  Synod  vouchsafed  these  latter  ages. 
Its  appointed  task  was  to  condemn  the  most  influential  and 
insidious  errors  of  the  day,  and  to  complete  the  legislation 
on  weighty  matters  of  discipline  that  had  been  contem¬ 
plated  and  discussed,  but  left  undecided,  by  the  Council  of 
Trent.  Like  its  predecessor,  the  Council  of  the  Vatican  was 
interrupted  by  the  disturbed  condition  of  Europe;  and  the 
Fathers,  leaving  the  work  of  their  deliberations  unfinished, 
returned  to  their  homes,  some  to  this  Western  continent, 
others  to  remote  regions  of  the  East.  But  we  would  fain 
cherish  the  hope,  and  lift  up  to  heaven  our  earnest  prayer, 
that  the  Father  of  mercies  and  God  of  all  consolation,  who 
is  ever  ready  to  comfort  His  Church  in  all  her  tribulations, 
who  holds  in  His  hand  the  counsels  of  princes  and  the  de¬ 
vices  of  peoples,  may  deign,  in  His  own  good  time,  to  re¬ 
unite  the  prelates,  or  their  successors,  over  the  tomb  of  St. 
Peter  or  elsewhere,  as  may  seem  best  to  His  infinite  wisdom. 
The  Vatican  Council,  however,  during  its  short  session  of 
seven  months,  gave  solemn  authoritative  utterance  to  some 
great  truths  which  the  Church  had  unvaryingly  held 
from  the  days  of  Christ  and  His  Apostles;  but  which  she 
found  it  once  more  necessary  to  recall  and  inculcate  against 
the  widespread  skepticism  and  unbelief  of  our  day.  Be¬ 
sides  condemning  the  philosophy,  no  less  wicked  than  false 
and  teeming  with  contradictions,  of  the  last  two  centuries, 
and  especially  of  our  own  times,  she  had  to  uphold  (such 
is  the  lamentable  downward  course  of  those  who  rebelled 
against  her  divine  commission  to  teach  all  nations!)  the 
truth  and  divinity  of  the  Sacred  Books  against  the  very 
children  of  those  who  once  appealed  to  Scripture  to  dis¬ 
prove  her  teachings,  and  to  maintain  the  dignity  and 
value  of  human  reason  against  the  lineal  descendants  of 
those  who  once  claimed  reason  as  the  supreme  and  only 
guide  in  picking  out  from  her  creed  what  mysteries  they 
would  retain,  what  mysteries  they  would  reject.  Nobly  did 
$he  perform  her  duty  and  assert  in  the  face  of  a  forgetful 


230  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

or  unbelieving  world  that  reason  is  God’s  highest  and  best 
gift  to  man  in  the  natural  order,  and  that  this  most  salutary 
aid  of  his  weakness  is  not  only  not  impaired,  but  strength¬ 
ened,  supplemented  and  ennobled  by  the  supernatural  gift 
of  Divine  revelation. 

We  have  no  reason  to  fear  that  you,  beloved  brethren, 
are  likely  to  be  carried  away  by  these  or  other  false  doc¬ 
trines  condemned  by  the  Vatican  Council,  such  as  mate¬ 
rialism  or  the  denial  of  God’s  power  to  create,  to  reveal 
to  mankind  His  hidden  truths,  to  display  by  miracles  His 
almighty  power  in  this  world  which  is  the  work  of  His 
hands.  But  neither  can  we  close  our  eyes  to  the  fact  that 
teachers  of  skepticism  and  irreligion  are  at  work  in  our 
country.  They  have  crept  into  the  leading  educational  in¬ 
stitutions  of  our  non-Catholic  fellow-citizens,  they  have 
(though  rarely)  made  their  appearance  in  the  public  press 
and  even  in  the  pulpit.  Could  we  rely  fully  on  the  innate 
good  sense  of  the  American  people  and  on  that  habitual 
reverence  for  God  and  religion  which  has  so  far  been  their 
just  pride  and  glory,  there  might  seem  comparatively  little 
danger  of  the  general  diffusion  of  those  wild  theories  which 
reject  or  ignore  Revelation,  undermine  morality,  and  end 
not  unfrequently  by  banishing  God  from  His  own  creation. 
But  when  we  take  into  account  the  daily  signs  of  growing 
unbelief,  and  see  how  its  heralds  not  only  seek  to  mould 
the  youthful  mind  in  our  colleges  and  seats  of  learning,  but 
are  also  actively  working  amongst  the  masses,  we  cannot 
but  shudder  at  the  dangers  that  threaten  us  in  the  future. 
When  to  this  we  add  the  rapid  growth  of  that  false  civiliza¬ 
tion  which  hides  its  foulness  under  the  name  of  enlighten¬ 
ment — involving,  as  it  does,  the  undisguised  worship  of 
mammon,  the  anxious  search  after  every  ease,  comfort  and 
luxury  for  man’s  physical  well-being,  the  all-absorbing  de¬ 
sire  to  promote  his  material  interests,  the  unconcern  or 
rather  contempt  for  those  of  his  higher  and  better  nature— 
we  cannot  but  feel  that  out  of  all  this  must  grow  a  heartless 
materialism,  which  is  the  best  soil  to  receive  the  seeds  of 
unbelief  and  irreligion,  which  threaten  to  desolate  the  coun¬ 
try  at  no  distant  day.  The  first  thing  to  perish  will  be  our 
liberties.  For  men,  who  know  not  God  or  religion,  can  never 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


231 


respect  the  inalienable  rights  which  man  has  received  from 
His  Creator.  The  State  in  such  case  must  become  a  despo¬ 
tism,  whether  its  power  be  lodged  in  the  hands  of  one  or 
many. 

To  you,  beloved  brethren,  who  possess  the  treasure  of 
Catholic  faith,  we  may  safely  address  the  reiterated  injunc¬ 
tions  of  the  Lord  to  the  chosen  leader  of  His  people. 

“Take  courage  and  be  strong  .  .  .  take  courage  and  be 
very  valiant.  .  .  .  Behold  I  command  thee,  take  courage  and 
be  strong.  Fear  not  and  be  not  dismayed,  because  the  Lord 
thy  God  is  with  thee.”1  The  latter  clause  gives  the  reason 
why  we  should  take  courage  and  be  strong.  An  inter¬ 
mediate  verse  gives  the  means  of  securing  God’s  assistance : 
“Let  not  the  book  of  this  law  depart  from  thy  mouth,  but 
thou  shalt  meditate  on  it  day  and  night,  that  thou  mayest 
observe  and  do  the  things  that  are  written  in  it.”  Keep, 
then,  day  and  night,  before  your  eyes  the  Law  of  God  and 
His  teachings  through  that  Holy  Church  that  He  has  ap¬ 
pointed  mother  and  mistress  of  all  men.  Fly  the  reading  of 
all  infidel  books,  and  keep  them  from  your  children,  as  you 
would  the  poison  of  asp  or  basilisk.  Teach  them  that  you 
and  they,  in  listening  to  Holy  Church,  have  the  guidance 
of  Him  who  said,  “I  am  the  way,  the  truth  and  the  life.”  Let 
others  doubt  or  deny,  but  with  the  Apostle,  you  know  whom 
you  have  believed,  and  you  are  certain  that  He  will  make 
good  the  trust  you  have  reposed  in  Him.2 

Christ  our  Lord  commissioned  His  Apostles  to  teach 
mankind  the  truths  they  had  been  taught  by  Him.  They 
received  no  commandment  to  write  on  any  doctrine,  much 
less  to  draw  up  a  body  of  articles  of  faith  such  as  our  chil¬ 
dren  now  learn  from  the  catechism.  They  preached  and  taught 
by  word  of  mouth;  or,  when  occasion  offered  itself,  they 
wrote  as  the  Divine  Spirit  prompted  them.  What  they 
wrote  and  what  they  delivered  by  oral  instruction  are 
equally  God’s  Word.  And  this  two-fold  Word,  written  and 
unwritten,  is  the  Deposit  of  divine  truth,  committed  to  the 
keeping  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  chiefly  to  him  on  whom 
the  Church  was  built — the  only  Apostle  who,  in  the  full 
sense  of  the  words,  yet  lives  and  rules  in  the  person  of  his 

i  Josue  i.  6,  7,  8,  9.  2  2  Tim.  i.  12, 


232  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

successors,  and  from  his  unfailing  chair  imparts  to  all  who 
seek  it  the  truth  of  Christian  faith.3  It  is  his  office  to  con¬ 
firm  his  brethren,  and  the  history  of  the  Church  exhibits 
him,  from  the  beginning  and  through  all  ages,  as  faithfully 
fulfilling  the  charge  entrusted  to  him  by  his  Master.4  From 
the  earliest  ages  down  to  our  own,  the  voice  of  Peter  has 
been  foremost  in  condemning  all  deviations  from  apostolic 
doctrine.  No  threats  of  worldly  power  could  subdue  or 
silence  that  voice.  To  such  threats  Peter,  through  his  suc¬ 
cessors,  has  ever  given  the  same  answer  that  he  gave  at 
Jerusalem  to  the  assembled  priests  and  ancients.5  No  plead¬ 
ing  of  princes  and  potentates  could  ever  win  Rome’s  sym¬ 
pathy  for  error;  no  heresy  under  false  semblance  of  Cath¬ 
olic  truth  ever  yet  eluded  her  vigilant  eye.6  As  soon  as  any 
novelty  appeared,  all  hearts  and  eyes  were  turned  towards 
the  Chair  of  Peter,  and  when  that  Chair  gave  its  decision, 
the  Christian  people  yielded  obedience.  Those  who  would 
not  were  cut  off  from  the  communion  of  the  Church,  and  be¬ 
came  thenceforth  as  the  heathen  and  the  publican. 

This  doctrine,  therefore,  which  had  so  thoroughly 
wrought  itself  into  the  life  and  action  of  the  Church,  the 
Vatican  Council  deemed  proper  to  consecrate  by  a  solemn 
definition.  Hence,  that  no  one  in  future  may  craftily  pre¬ 
tend  not  to  know  how  and  whence  to  ascertain  what  the 
Church  officially  teaches;  above  all,  that  no  one  may  hence¬ 
forth  scatter  the  baneful  seeds  of  false  doctrine  with  im¬ 
punity,  under  the  mask  of  an  appeal  from  the  judgment  of 
the  Holy  See  (whether  it  be  to  learned  universities,  or  State 
tribunals,  or  future  councils,  particular  or  general,  as  was 
done  by  Luther  and  the  Jansenists),  the  Church  of  the  liv¬ 
ing  God,  through  the  Fathers  of  the  Vatican  Council,  has 
unequivocally  declared  that  her  authentic  spokesman  is  the 
successor  of  St.  Peter  in  the  Apostolic  See  of  Rome,  and  that 
what  he,  as  Head  of  the  Church,  officially  decides  is  part 
of  the  Deposit  of  Faith  intrusted  to  her  keeping  by  Christ 
Our  Lord,  and  hence  subject  to  neither  denial,  doubt  nor 
revision,  but  to  be  implicitly  received  and  believed  by  all. 

In  this  authoritative  declaration  there  is  nothing  new, 

3  See  Eplst.  S.  Petri  Chrysologi  inter  Epp.  S.  Leonis  M. 

t  x!‘-  5  Acts  iv.  19-20.  6  Cf.  Cyprian.  Ep.  lix 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


233 


nothing  to  give  cause  for  wonder.  It  is  only  setting  the 
solemn  seal  of  definition  upon  what  has  always  been  the 
belief  and  practice  of  the  Church.  Yet  “the  gates  of  Hell,” 
the  powers  of  darkness  that  forever  assail  the  Church  built 
on  Peter — though  knowing  (for  the  very  devils  believe  and 
tremble  in  believing)  7  that  they  cannot  prevail  against  it 
nor  make  void  God’s  promise8 — seem  to  have  been  stirred 
to  their  very  depths  by  the  proclamation  of  this  great  truth. 
And  their  impotent  rage  has  found  its  echo  upon  earth. 
The  definition  evoked  a  storm  of  fierce  obloquy  and  reck¬ 
less  vituperation,  such  as  has  been  seldom  witnessed 
amongst  our  opponents.  And  a  wretched  handful  of  apos¬ 
tate  Catholics  “went  out  from  us,  but  they  were  not  of  us.” 9 

But,  what  was  far  more  serious,  the  kings  of  the  earth 
stood  up  and  the  princes  assembled  together  against  the 
Lord 10  and  against  His  anointed  Vicar,  because  of  the  defini¬ 
tion.  They  revived  the  old  war-cry  raised  by  the  Jews 
against  our  Saviour11  and  so  often  renewed  by  the  perse¬ 
cutors  of  the  Church.  They  pretended  that  by  defining  the 
infallibility  of  St.  Peter’s  successor,  she  had  made  herself 
the  enemy  of  Caesar.  Herein  we  see  plainly  verified  the 
strong  language  of  Scripture:  “Iniquity  hath  lied  to  it¬ 
self.”12  The  Pope,  even  after  the  proclamation  of  his  in¬ 
fallibility,  is  no  more  the  enemy  of  Caesar  and  of  human 
governments,  than  was  the  infallible  Peter  the  enemy  of 
Nero,  or  Christ  our  Lord,  who  is  infallible  truth  itself,  the 
enemy  of  Augustus  and  Tiberius  under  whom  He  was  born 
into  the  world,  taught  and  suffered.  The  governments  by 
which,  three  centuries  ago,  the  new  tenets  of  Luther,  Zwin- 
gli  and  Calvin  had  been  imposed  on  reluctant  people  by  the 
sword,  were  the  first,  indeed  the  only  ones,  to  again  un¬ 
sheathe  it  against  Catholic  believers,  and  especially  against 
the  bishops  and  clergy.  It  was  their  purpose  to  exterminate 
by  degrees  the  Catholic  hierarchy,  and  replace  it  by  a  ser¬ 
vile  priesthood  that  would  subordinate  its  preaching  and 
ministry  to  the  will  of  the  State.  To  do  this  they  had  to 
trample  on  solemn  treaties  and  organic  laws.  But  the 
Catholics  of  Prussia,  clergy  and  people,  while  proving 

7  Credunt  et  contremlscunt,  James  ii.  19.  8  Matt.  xvi.  18. 

9  John  ii.  19.  10  Acts  iv.  26.  J1  John  xix.  12,  15.  12  Ps.  xxvi.  19, 


234  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

themselves  most  devoted  and  faithful  to  their  country’s 
laws,  stood  up  like  a  wall  of  adamant  against  the  tyranny 
of  its  rulers.  With  generous  vigor  and  admirable  con¬ 
stancy,  they  availed  themselves  of  every  legal  and  constitu¬ 
tional  means  to  check  the  advances  of  despotism  and  save 
their  own  freedom  and  that  of  their  country.  They  have 
given  to  the  world  a  glorious  example,  which  it  is  to  be 
hoped  the  victims  of  tyrannous  Liberalism  in  Catholic 
countries  may  some  day  have  the  wisdom  or  the  courage 
to  imitate.  The  struggle  has  now  lasted  fourteen  years;  but 
the  very  friends  of  this  persecuting  legislation  have  been 
driven  at  last  to  acknowledge  that  it  has  proved  to  be  a 
miserable  failure;  and  no  better  proof  of  it  could  be  found 
than  the  fact,  that  the  rulers  of  Prussia  have  had  to  fall 
back  on  the  patriotism  of  the  Catholic  body  to  stay  the 
threatening  march  of  socialism  and  revolution.  In  Switzer¬ 
land,  too,  the  persecution  has  yielded  to  the  policy  of  mild¬ 
ness  and  conciliation  adopted  by  Our  Holy  Father,  Leo 
XIII. 

Beloved  brethren,  we  have  no  need  to  encourage  you  to 
hold  steadfastly  to  this  doctrine  of  the  Vatican  Council; 
for  you  were  trained  from  infancy  to  believe  it,  as  were 
your  fathers  before  you,  while  it  was  not  yet  invested  with 
the  formalities  of  a  definition,  just  as  the  early  Christians 
held  firmly  to  the  divinity  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
three  hundred  years  before  the  Church  found  it  necessary 
to  define  them  in  the  Councils  of  Nice  and  Byzantium. 

And  in  our  own  country,  writers  and  speakers  who  know 
the  Church  only  by  the  caricatures  drawn  by  prejudice, 
have  occasionally  re-echoed  the  same  charge;  but  despite 
local  and  temporary  excitements,  the  good  sense  of  the 
American  people  has  always  prevailed  against  the  calumny. 
We  think  we  can  claim  to  be  acquainted  both  with  the  laws, 
institutions  and  spirit  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  with  the 
laws,  institutions  and  spirit  of  our  country;  and  we  em¬ 
phatically  declare  that  there  is  no  antagonism  between 
them.  A  Catholic  finds  himself  at  home  in  the  United 
States;  for  the  influence  of  his  Church  has  constantly  been 
exercised  in  behalf  of  individual  rights  and  popular  liber¬ 
ties.  And  the  right-minded  American  nowhere  finds  him- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


235 


self  more  at  home  than  in  the  Catholic  Church,  for  nowhere 
else  can  he  breathe  more  freely  that  atmosphere  of  Divine 
truth,  which  alone  can  make  him  free.13 

We  repudiate  with  equal  earnestness  the  assertion  that 
we  need  to  lay  aside  any  of  our  devotedness  to  our  Church, 
to  be  true  Americans;  the  insinuation  that  we  need  to  abate 
any  of  our  love  for  our  country’s  principles  and  institutions, 
to  be  faithful  Catholics.  To  argue  that  the  Catholic  Church 
is  hostile  to  our  great  Republic,  because  she  teaches  that 
“there  is  no  power  but  from  God;”14  because,  therefore, 
back  of  the  events  which  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Re¬ 
public,  she  sees  the  Providence  of  God  leading  to  that 
issue,  and  back  of  our  country’s  laws  the  authority  of  God 
as  their  sanction, — this  is  evidently  so  illogical  and  con¬ 
tradictory  an  accusation,  that  we  are  astonished  to  hear  it 
advanced  by  persons  of  ordinary  intelligence.  We  be¬ 
lieve  that  our  country’s  heroes  were  the  instruments  of  the 
God  of  Nations  in  establishing  this  home  of  freedom;  to 
both  the  Almighty  and  to  His  instruments  in  the  work,  we 
look  with  grateful  reverence;  and  to  maintain  the  inher¬ 
itance  of  freedom  which  they  have  left  us,  should  it  ever — 
which  God  forbid — be  imperilled,  our  Catholic  citizens  will 
be  found  to  stand  forward,  as  one  man  ready  to  pledge 
anew  “their  lives,  their  fortunes,  and  their  sacred  honor.” 

No  less  illogical  would  be  the  notion,  that  there  is  aught 
in  the  free  spirit  of  our  American  institutions,  incompatible 
with  perfect  docility  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  The  spirit 
of  American  freedom  is  not  one  of  anarchy  or  license. 
It  essentially  involves  love  of  order,  respect  for  rightful 
authority,  and  obedience  to  just  laws.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  character  of  the  most  liberty-loving  American,  which 
could  hinder  his  reverential  submission  to  the  Divine  au¬ 
thority  of  Our  Lord,  or  to  the  like  authority  delegated  by 
Him  to  His  Apostles  and  His  Church.  Nor  are  there  in  the 
world  more  devoted  adherents  of  the  Catholic  Church,  the 
See  of  Peter,  and  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  than  the  Catholics  of 
the  United  States.  Narrow,  insular,  national  views  and 
jealousies  concerning  ecclesiastical  authority  and  Church 
organization,  may  have  sprung  naturally  enough  from  the 


13  John  viii.  32. 


14  Rom.  xiii.  1, 


236  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

selfish  policy  of  certain  rulers  and  nations  in  by-gone  times; 
but  they  find  no  sympathy  in  the  spirit  of  the  true  American 
Catholic.  His  natural  instincts,  no  less  than  his  religious 
training,  would  forbid  him  to  submit  in  matters  of  faith 
to  the  dictation  of  the  State  or  to  any  merely  human  au¬ 
thority  whatsoever.  He  accepts  the  religion  and  the  Church 
that  are  from  God,  and  he  knows  well  that  these  are  uni¬ 
versal,  not  national  or  local, — for  all  the  children  of  men, 
not  for  any  special  tribe  or  tongue.  We  glory  that  we  are, 
and,  with  God’s  blessing,  shall  continue  to  be,  not  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Church,  nor  the  Church  of  the  United  States,  nor  a 
Church  in  any  other  sense  exclusive  or  limited,  but  an 
integral  part  of  the  one,  holy,  Catholic  and  Apostolic 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  the  Body  of  Christ,  in 
which  there  is  no  distinction  of  classes  and  nationalities, — 
in  which  all  are  one  in  Christ  Jesus.15 

While  the  assaults  of  calumny  and  persecution  directed 
against  the  Church  since  the  Vatican  Council  have  abund¬ 
antly  shown  how  angry  the  powers  of  evil  have  been  at  the 
Council’s  luminous  utterances  of  Divine  truth,  our  Holy 
Father  the  Pope  has  been,  naturally  enough,  the  main  ob¬ 
ject  of  attack.  And  Divine  Providence  has  been  pleased  to 
leave  him,  for  a  while  at  the  mercy  of  his  enemies,  in  order 
that  their  impious  violence  might  work  out  the  demonstra¬ 
tion  of  its  own  injustice;  that  the  true  character  and  the 
indestructibility  of  the  office  of  St.  Peter  might  be  made 
manifest  to  the  world;  that  the  wisdom  of  the  Providence 
which  has  guarded  the  independence  of  that  office  in  the 
past,  might  be  vindicated  and  reaffirmed  for  the  future. 
The  great  and  beloved  Pius  IX  died  the  “Prisoner  of  the 
Vatican,”  and  Leo  XIII  has  inherited  his  Apostolic  trials, 
together  with  his  Apostolic  office.  Day  after  day  he  has 
seen  the  consecrated  patrimony  of  religion  and  charity 
swept  into  Caesar’s  coffers  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  spoliation 
and  confiscation.  At  this  moment,  he  sees  that  same  grasp 
laid  upon  the  property  of  the  Propaganda,  piously  set  apart 
for  spreading  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  throughout  the 
missionary  countries  of  the  world.  So  utterly  unjustifiable 
an  act  has  called  forth  a  cry  of  indignant  protest  from  the 


15  Gal.  lii.  28. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


237 


Catholics  of  all  countries,  and  from  no  country  has  the 
cry  gone  forth  clearer  and  louder  than  from  our  own.  We 
thank  our  government  for  the  action  that  saved  the  Amer¬ 
ican  College  from  confiscation;  and  we  hope  that  the  pro¬ 
test  and  appeal  of  all  governments  and  people  that  “love 
justice  and  hate  iniquity”  may  yet  shame  the  spoiler  into 
honesty.  Meanwhile  the  hearts  of  all  Catholics  go  out  all 
the  more  lovingly  towards  their  persecuted  Chief  Pastor; 
and  from  their  worldly  means,  be  they  abundant  or  scanty, 
they  gladly  supply  him  with  the  means  necessary  for  carry¬ 
ing  on  the  administration  of  his  high  office.  Such  has  been 
your  liberality  in  the  past,  beloved  brethren,  that  we  hardly 
need  exhort  you  to  generosity  in  the  collection  for  the  Holy 
Father,  which  will  continue  to  be  made  annually  through¬ 
out  all  the  dioceses  of  the  country.  Let  your  devoted  affec¬ 
tion  be  shown  by  your  deeds,  and  the  persistency  of  in¬ 
justice  be  more  than  matched  by  the  constancy  of  your 
faithful  and  generous  love. 

While  enduring  with  the  heroism  of  a  martyr  the  trials 
which  beset  him,  and  trustfully  awaiting  the  Almighty’s 
day  of  deliverance,  the  energy  and  wisdom  of  Leo  XIII  are 
felt  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  He  is  carrying  on  with  the 
governments  of  Europe  the  negotiations  which  promise 
soon  to  bring  peace  to  the  Church.  In  the  East  he  is  pre¬ 
paring  the  way  for  the  return  to  Catholic  unity  of  the  mil¬ 
lions  whom  the  Greek  schism  has  so  long  deprived  of  com¬ 
munion  with  the  See  of  Peter,  and  is  following  the  progress 
of  exploration  in  lands  hitherto  unknown  or  inaccessible 
with  corresponding  advances  of  Catholic  missions.  To  the 
whole  world  his  voice  has  again  and  again  gone  forth 
in  counsels  of  eloquence  and  wisdom,  pointing  out  the 
path  to  the  acquisition  of  truth  in  the  important  domain 
of  philosophy  and  history — the  best  means  for  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  human  life  in  all  its  phases,  individual,  domestic 
and  social — the  ways  in  which  the  children  of  God  should 
walk — “that  all  flesh  may  see  the  salvation  of  God.” 

But  in  all  the  wide  circle  of  his  great  responsibility,  the 
progress  of  the  Church  in  these  United  States  forms,  in  a 
special  manner,  both  a  source  of  joy  and  an  object  of 
solicitude  to  the  Holy  Father.  With  loving  care  his  pred- 


238  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

ecessors  watched  and  encouraged  her  first  feeble  begin¬ 
nings.  They  cheered  and  fostered  her  development  in  the 
pure  atmosphere  of  freedom,  when  the  name  of  Carroll 
shone  with  equal  lustre  at  the  head  of  her  new¬ 
born  Hierarchy,  and  on  the  roll  of  our  country’s  patriots. 
Step  by  step  they  directed  her  progress,  as  with  marvellous 
rapidity,  the  clergy  and  the  dioceses  have  multiplied;  the 
hundreds  of  the  faithful  have  increased  to  thousands  and 
to  millions;  her  churches,  schools,  asylums,  hospitals,  acad¬ 
emies  and  colleges,  have  covered  the  land  with  homes  of 
divine  truth  and  Christian  charity.  Not  yet  a  century  has 
elapsed  since  the  work  was  inaugurated  by  the  appointment 
of  the  first  Bishop  of  Baltimore,  in  1789;  and  as  we  gaze 
upon  the  results  already  reached  we  must  exclaim:  “By 
the  Lord  hath  this  been  done,  and  it  is  wonderful  in  our 
eyes.” 16 

In  all  this  astonishing  development,  from  the  rude  be¬ 
ginning  of  pioneer  missionary  toil,  along  the  nearer  and 
nearer  approaches  to  the  beauteous  symmetry  of  the 
Church’s  perfect  organization,  the  advance  so  gradual  yet 
so  rapid  has  been  safely  guided  in  the  lines  of  Catholic  and 
Apostolic  tradition,  by  the  combined  efforts  and  wisdom 
of  our  local  Hierarchy  and  of  the  successors  of  St.  Peter. 
It  was  in  order  to  take  counsel  with  the  representatives  of 
the  American  Hierarchy  concerning  the  important  interests 
of  religion  in  this  country,  that  the  Holy  Father,  last  year, 
invited  the  Archbishops  of  the  United  States  to  Rome.  And 
the  object  of  the  present  council  is  to  put  into  practical 
shape  the  means  of  religious  improvement  then  resolved 
upon  or  suggested. 

One  of  our  first  cares  has  been  to  provide  for  the  more 
perfect  education  of  aspirants  to  the  holy  Priesthood.  It  has 

always  been  the  Church’s  endeavor  that  her 
Education  of  clergy  should  be  eminent  in  learning.  For 
the  Clergy.  she  has  always  considered  that  nothing 

less  than  this  is  required  by  their  sacred 
office  of  guarding  and  dispensing  Divine  truth.  “The  lips 
of  the  priest  shall  keep  knowledge,”  says  the  Most  High, 
“and  the  people  shall  seek  the  law  at  his  mouth.”  This  is 

16  Matt.  xxi.  42;  Ps.  cxvil.  22. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


239 


true  in  all  times;  for  no  advance  in  secular  knowledge,  no 
diffusion  of  popular  education,  can  do  away  with  the  office 
of  the  teaching  ministry,  which  Our  Lord  has  declared  shall 
last  forever.  In  every  age  it  is  and  shall  be  the  duty  of 
God’s  priests  to  proclaim  the  salutary  truths  which  our 
Heavenly  Father  has  given  to  the  world  through  His  Divine 
Son;  to  present  them  to  each  generation  in  the  way  that  will 
move  their  minds  and  hearts  to  embrace  and  love  them; 
to  defend  them,  when  necessary,  against  every  attack  of 
error.  From  this  it  is  obvious  that  the  priest  should  have  a 
wide  acquaintance  with  every  department  of  learning  that 
has  a  bearing  on  religious  truth.  Hence  in  our  age,  when 
so  many  misleading  theories  are  put  forth  on  every  side, 
when  every  department  of  natural  truth  and  fact  is  actively 
explored  for  objections  against  revealed  religion,  it  is 
evident  how  extensive  and  thorough  should  be  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  minister  of  the  Divine  Word,  that  he  may  be  able 
to  show  forth  worthily  the  beauty,  the  superiority,  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  to  prove  that  there  is 
nothing  in  all  that  God  has  made  to  contradict  anything  that 
God  has  taught. 

Hence  the  priest  who  has  the  noble  ambition  of  attain¬ 
ing  to  the  high  level  of  his  holy  office,  may  well  consider 
himself  a  student  all  his  life;  and  of  the  leisure  hours  which 
he  can  find  amid  the  duties  of  his  ministry,  he  will  have 
very  few  that  he  can  spare  for  miscellaneous  reading,  and 
none  at  all  to  waste.  And  hence,  too,  the  evident  duty 
devolving  on  us,  to  see  that  the  course  of  education  in  our 
ecclesiastical  colleges  and  seminaries  be  as  perfect  as  it  can 
be  made.  During  the  century  of  extraordinary  growth  now 
closing,  the  care  of  the  Church  in  this  country  has  been  to 
send  forth  as  rapidly  as  possible  holy,  zealous,  hard-work¬ 
ing  priests,  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  multitudes  calling 
for  the  ministrations  of  religion.  She  has  not  on  that 
account  neglected  to  prepare  them  for  their  divine  work  by 
a  suitable  education,  as  her  numerous  and  admirable  sem¬ 
inaries  testify;  but  the  course  of  study  was  often  more  rapid 
and  restricted  than  she  desired.  At  present  our  improved 
circumstances  make  it  practicable  both  to  lengthen  and 


240  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

widen  the  course,  and  for  this  the  Council  has  duly  pro¬ 
vided. 

We  are  confident,  beloved  brethren,  that  you  feel  as 
deeply  interested  as  ourselves  in  the  accomplishment  of 
these  great  results.  This  you  have  hitherto  manifested  by 
the  zealous  liberality  by  which  you  have  enabled  us  to  build 
and  support  our  seminaries;  and  we  are  well  assured  that 
you  will  not  be  found  wanting,  should  even  greater  efforts 
be  necessary,  to  enable  us  to  make  the  education  and  use¬ 
fulness  of  the  clergy  as  perfect  as  we  desire.  In  the  future, 
as  in  the  past,  look  upon  your  annual  contribution  to  the 
Seminary  fund  as  one  of  your  most  important  duties  as 
Catholics,  and  let  your  generosity  be  proportioned  to  the 
dignity  and  sacredness  of  the  object  for  which  you  offer  it. 

And  here  we  remind  those  among  our  Catholic  people 
to  whom  God  has  been  pleased  to  give  wealth,  that  it  is 
their  duty  and  their  privilege  to  consider  themselves  the 
Lord’s  stewards,  in  the  use  of  what  His  Providence  has 
placed  in  their  hands;  that  they  should  be  foremost  in  help¬ 
ing  on  the  work  of  the  Church  of  Christ  during  life,  and 
make  sure  to  have  God  among  their  heirs  when  they  die; 
and  we  recommend  to  them  as  specially  useful  the  founding 
of  scholarships,  either  in  their  diocesan  or  provincial  Semi¬ 
naries,  or  in  the  American  College  in  Rome,  or  elsewhere, 
as  circumstances  may  suggest. 

No  small  portion  of  our  attention  has  been  bestowed  on 
the  framing  of  such  legislation  as  will  best  secure  the  rights 

and  interests  of  your  pastors,  and  of  all 
Pastoral  ranks  of  the  clergy  in  this  country.  It  is 

Rights.  but  natural,  beloved  brethren,  that  the  first 

and  dearest  object  of  our  solicitude  should 
be  our  venerable  clergy.  They  are  our  dearest  brethren, 
bound  to  us  by  ties  more  sacred  than  those  of  flesh  and 
blood.  Our  elevation  to  a  higher  office  only  draws  them  to 
us  more  closely,  since  their  happiness  and  welfare  are 
thereby  made  the  first  object  of  our  responsibility,  and 
since  upon  their  devoted  labors  must  mainly  depend  the 
welfare  of  the  souls  entrusted  to  our  charge.  We  need  not 
tell  you,  beloved  brethren,  how  admirably  they  fulfil  their 
sacred  trust.  You  are  witnesses  to  their  lives  of  toil  and 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


241 


sacrifice.  And  to  them  we  can  truly  say  in  the  words  of 
St.  Paul,  “You  are  our  glory  and  our  joy.”17 

The  rights  of  the  clergy  have  reference  chiefly  to  their 
exercising  the  sacred  ministry  in  their  missions,  to  the  fix¬ 
ity  of  their  tenure  of  office  and  to  the  inviolableness  of 
their  pastoral  authority  within  proper  limits.  It  is  the 
spirit  of  the  Church  that  the  various  grades  of  authority  in 
her  organization  should  in  no  wise  be  in  rivalry  or  conflict, 
but  orderly  and  harmonious.  This  she  has  secured  by  her 
wise  laws,  based  upon  the  experience  of  centuries,  and 
representing  the  perfection  of  Church  organization.  It  is 
obvious  that  in  countries  like  our  own,  where  from  rudi¬ 
mentary  beginnings  our  organization  is  only  gradually  ad¬ 
vancing  towards  perfection,  the  full  application  of  these 
laws  is  impracticable;  but  in  proportion  as  they  become 
practicable,  it  is  our  desire,  not  less  than  that  of  the  Holy 
See,  that  they  should  go  into  effect.  For  we  have  the  fullest 
confidence  in  the  wisdom  with  which  the  Church  devised 
these  laws,  and  we  heartily  rejoice  at  every  approach  to¬ 
wards  perfect  organization  in  the  portion  of  the  vineyard 
over  which  we  have  jurisdiction.  This  has  been  to  some 
degree  accomplished  by  regulations  enacted  during  recent 
years,  and  still  more  by  the  decrees  of  the  present  Council. 

But  while  it  is  our  desire  to  do  all  on  our  part  that  both 
justice  and  affection  can  prompt,  for  fully  securing  all 
proper  rights  and  privileges  to  our  priests,  let  us  remind 
you,  beloved  brethren,  that  on  your  conduct  must  their 
happiness  chiefly  depend.  A  grateful  and  pious  flock  is 
sure  to  make  a  happy  pastor.  But  if  the  people  do  not  re¬ 
spond  to  their  pastor’s  zeal,  if  they  are  cold  and  ungrateful 
or  disedifying,  then  indeed  is  his  lot  sad  and  pitiable.  Since, 
therefore,  the  Priests  of  God  leave  all  things  to  devote  them¬ 
selves  to  your  spiritual  welfare,  show  by  your  affection,  by 
your  co-operation  with  their  efforts  for  your  spiritual  im¬ 
provement,  and  even  by  your  care  for  their  physical  com¬ 
fort,  that  you  appreciate  their  devotedness  and  the  recip¬ 
rocal  obligation  which  it  imposes.  Look  upon  your  priests 
as  your  best  friends,  your  trustiest  advisors,  your  surest 
guides.  If  duty  sometimes  calls  upon  them  to  admonish 


17  The».  11.  20. 


242  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

or  rebuke  you,  remember  that  the  reproof  is  meant  for  your 
good,  and  take  it  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  given.  And  if 
perchance  they  have  to  speak  to  you  oftener  than  is  pleas¬ 
ant  about  church  finances  and  the  demands  of  charity,  un¬ 
derstand  that  it  must  be  at  least  as  disagreeable  to  them  as 
it  is  to  you;  that  it  is  not  for  themslves,  but  for  the  needs  of 
the  parish  church  or  school,  which  are  intended  for  your 
benefit,  or  of  the  parish  poor,  who  are  your  charge,  that 
they  have  to  plead;  and  that,  while  they  are  to  bear  in  mind 
the  advisability  of  speaking  of  money  as  seldom  as  possible, 
you  must  be  mindful  to  make  your  generosity  equal  to  the 
need,  and  thereby  save  both  your  pastors  and  yourselves 
the  painful  necessity  of  frequent  appeals. 

And  here  we  deem  it  proper  to  say  a  few  words  con¬ 
cerning  church  properties  and  church  debts.  The  manner 
of  holding  the  legal  title  to  these  properties  is  different  in 
different  places,  according  to  the  requirements  of  local  civil 
laws;  but  whether  the  title  be  held  by  the  bishop,  or  by 
boards  of  diocesan  or  parish  trustees,  it  always  remains 
true  that  the  properties  are  held  in  trust  for  the  Church  for 
the  benefit  of  the  people.  One  generation  buys  or  builds, 
another  generation  improves  and  adorns,  and  each  gen¬ 
eration  uses  and  transmits  for  the  use  of  others  yet  to  come, 
— bishops  and  priests  having  the  burden  of  the  administra¬ 
tion  and  being  sacredly  responsible  for  its  faithful  per¬ 
formance. 

In  the  discharge  of  this  duty  it  often  becomes  necessary 
to  contract  church  debts.  Where  the  multiplication  of  the 
Catholic  population  has  been  so  rapid,  rapid  work  had  to 
be  done  in  erecting  churches  and  schools.  And  if,  under 
such  circumstances,  pastors  had  to  wait  till  all  the  funds 
were  in  hand  before  beginning  the  work,  a  generation 
would  be  left  without  necessary  spiritual  aids,  and  might 
be  lost  to  the  Church  and  to  God.  We  fully  recognize,  be¬ 
loved  brethren,  how  strictly  we  are  bound  to  prevent  the 
contraction  of  debts  without  real  necessity;  and  this  we 
have  endeavored  to  secure  by  careful  legislation.  Still,  de¬ 
spite  all  our  efforts,  it  must  inevitably  happen  that  the 
burden  imposed  on  us  by  our  gigantic  task  of  providing  for 
the  spiritual  wants  of  the  present  and  the  rising  generation 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


243 


will  always  be  heavy,  and  will  weigh  upon  us  all.  But  the 
special  Providence  of  God  towards  our  country,  which  has 
made  the  work  and  the  need  so  great,  has  never  failed 
hitherto  to  inspire  our  people  with  a  zeal  equal  to  the  de¬ 
mand.  You  have  rivaled  your  pastors  in  the  ardor  of  their 
desire  for  the  building  up  of  the  Church  of  Christ  and  the 
extension  of  His  Kingdom;  and  we  are  confident  that  you 
will  preserve  your  zeal  unto  the  end,  and  transmit  it  un¬ 
diminished  to  your  descendants.  It  is  our  earnest  wish  that 
existing  debts  should  be  liquidated  as  soon  as  possible,  in 
order  that  the  money  now  consumed  in  paying  interest  may 
be  employed  in  the  great  improvements  still  to  be  made, 
and  especially  in  helping  on  the  glorious  work  of  Christian 
education. 

Scarcely,  if  at  all,  secondary  to  the  Church’s  desire  for 
the  education  of  the  clergy,  is  her  solicitude  for  the  educa¬ 
tion  of  the  laity.  It  is  not  for  themselves, 
but  for  the  people,  that  the  Church  wishes  Christian 
her  clergy  to  be  learned,  as  it  is  not  for  Education, 
themselves  only,  but  for  the  people  that 
they  are  priests.  Popular  education  has  always  been  a 
chief  object  of  the  Church’s  care;  in  fact,  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  the  history  of  civilization  and  education  is  the 
history  of  the  Church’s  work.  In  the  rude  ages,  when  semi- 
barbarous  chieftains  boasted  of  their  illiteracy,  she  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  diffusing  that  love  of  learning  which  covered 
Europe  with  schools  and  universities;  and  thus  from  the 
barbarous  tribes  of  the  early  middle  ages,  she  built  up  the 
civilized  nations  of  modern  times.  Even  subsequent  to  the 
religious  dissensions  of  the  sixteenth  century,  whatever 
progress  has  been  made  in  education  is  mainly  due  to  the 
impetus  which  she  had  previously  given.  In  our  own  coun¬ 
try  notwithstanding  the  many  difficulties  attendant  on  first 
beginnings  and  unexampled  growth,  we  already  find  her 
schools,  academies  and  colleges  everywhere,  built  and  sus¬ 
tained  by  voluntary  contributions,  even  at  the  cost  of  great 
sacrifices,  and  comparing  favorably  with  the  best  educa¬ 
tional  institutions  in  the  land. 

These  facts  abundantly  attest  the  Church’s  desire  for 
popular  instruction.  The  beauty  of  truth,  the  refining  and 


244  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

elevating  influences  of  knowledge,  are  meant  for  all,  and 
she  wishes  them  to  be  brought  within  the  reach  of  all. 
Knowledge  enlarges  our  capacity  both  for  self-improve¬ 
ment  and  for  promoting  the  welfare  of  our  fellow-men;  and 
in  so  noble  a  work  the  Church  wishes  every  hand  to  be 
busy.  Knowledge,  too,  is  the  best  weapon  against  perni¬ 
cious  errors.  It  is  only  “  a  little  learning”  that  is  “a  danger¬ 
ous  thing.”  In  days  like  ours,  when  error  is  so  pretentious 
and  aggressive,  every  one  needs  to  be  as  completely  armed 
as  possible  with  sound  knowledge, — not  only  the  clergy,  but 
the  people  also  that  they  may  be  able  to  withstand  the 
noxious  influences  of  popularized  irreligion.  In  the  great 
coming  combat  between  truth  and  error,  between  Faith 
and  Agnosticism,  an  important  part  of  the  fray  must  be 
borne  by  the  laity,  and  woe  to  them  if  they  are  not  well  pre¬ 
pared.  And  if,  in  the  olden  days  of  vassalage  and  serfdom, 
the  Church  honored  every  individual,  no  matter  how  hum¬ 
ble  his  position,  and  labored  to  give  him  the  enlightenment 
that  would  qualify  him  for  future  responsibilities,  much 
more  now,  in  the  era  of  popular  rights  and  liberties,  when 
every  individual  is  an  active  and  influential  factor  in  the 
body  politic,  does  she  desire  that  all  should  be  fitted  by  suit¬ 
able  training  for  an  intelligent  and  conscientious  discharge 
of  the  important  duties  that  will  devolve  upon  them. 

Few,  if  any,  will  deny  that  a  sound  civilization  must 
depend  upon  sound  popular  education.  But  education,  in 
order  to  be  sound  and  to  produce  beneficial  results,  must 
develop  what  is  best  in  man,  and  make  him  not  only  clever 
but  good.  A  one-sided  education  will  develop  a  one-sided 
life;  and  such  a  life  will  surely  topple  over,  and  so  will 
every  social  system  that  is  built  up  of  such  lives.  True 
civilization  requires  that  not  only  the  physical  and  intellec¬ 
tual,  but  also  the  moral  and  religious,  well-being  of  the 
people  should  be  promoted,  and  at  least  with  equal  care. 
Take  away  religion  from  a  people,  and  morality  would  soon 
follow;  morality  gone,  even  their  physical  condition  will 
ere  long  degenerate  into  corruption  which  breeds  decrep¬ 
itude,  while  their  intellectual  attainments  would  only  serve 
as  a  light  to  guide  them  to  deeper  depths  of  vice  and  ruin. 
This  has  been  so  often  demonstrated  in  the  history  of  the 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


245 


past,  and  is,  in  fact,  so  self-evident,  that  one  is  amazed  to 
find  any  difference  of  opinion  about  it.  A  civilization  with¬ 
out  religion,  would  be  a  civilization  of  “the  struggle  for 
existence,  and  the  survival  of  the  fittest,”  in  which  cunning 
and  strength  would  become  the  substitutes  for  principle, 
virtue,  conscience  and  duty.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  there 
never  has  been  a  civilization  worthy  of  the  name  without 
religion;  and  from  the  facts  of  history  the  laws  of  human 
nature  can  easily  be  inferred. 

Hence  education,  in  order  to  foster  civilization,  must 
foster  religion.  Now  the  three  great  educational  agencies 
are  the  home,  the  Church,  and  the  school.  These  mould 
men  and  shape  society.  Therefore  each  of  them,  to  do  its 
part  well,  must  foster  religion.  But  many,  unfortunately, 
while  avowing  that  religion  should  be  the  light  and  the 
atmosphere  of  the  home  and  of  the  Church,  are  content  to 
see  it  excluded  from  the  school,  and  even  advocate  as  the 
best  school  system  that  which  necessarily  excludes  religion. 
Few  surely  will  deny  that  childhood  and  youth  are  the 
periods  of  life  when  the  character  ought  especially  to  be 
subjected  to  religious  influences.  Nor  can  we  ignore  the 
palpable  fact  that  the  school  is  an  important  factor  in  the 
forming  of  childhood  and  youth, — so  important  that  its 
influence  often  outweighs  that  of  home  and  Church.  It 
cannot,  therefore,  be  desirable  or  advantageous  that  reli¬ 
gion  should  be  excluded  from  the  school.  On  the  contrary, 
it  ought  there  to  be  one  of  the  chief  agencies  for  moulding 
the  young  life  to  all  that  is  true  and  virtuous,  and  holy.  To 
shut  religion  out  of  the  school,  and  keep  it  for  home  and  the 
Church,  is,  logically,  to  train  up  a  generation  that  will  con¬ 
sider  religion  good  for  home  and  the  Church,  but  not  for 
the  practical  business  of  real  life.  But  a  more  false  and 
pernicious  notion  could  not  be  imagined.  Beligion,  in  order 
to  elevate  a  people,  should  inspire  their  whole  life  and  rule 
their  relations  with  one  another.  A  life  is  not  dwarfed,  but 
ennobled  by  being  lived  in  the  presence  of  God.  Therefore 
the  school,  which  principally  gives  the  knowledge  fitting 
for  practical  life,  ought  to  be  pre-eminently  under  the  holy 
influence  of  religion.  From  the  shelter  of  home  and  school, 
the  youth  must  soon  go  out  into  the  busy  ways  of  trade  or 


246  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

traffic  or  professional  practice.  In  all  these,  the  principles 
of  religion  should  animate  and  direct  him.  But  he  cannot 
expect  to  learn  these  principles  in  the  work-shop  or  the 
office  or  the  counting-room.  Therefore  let  him  be  well  and 
thoroughly  imbued  with  them  by  the  joint  influences  of 
home  and  school,  before  he  is  launched  out  on  the  danger¬ 
ous  sea  of  life. 

All  denominations  of  Christians  are  now  awaking  to 
this  great  truth,  which  the  Catholic  Church  has  never  ceased 
to  maintain.  Reason  and  experience  are  forcing  them  to 
recognize  that  the  only  practical  way  to  secure  a  Christian 
people,  is  to  give  the  youth  a  Christian  education.  The 
avowed  enemies  of  Christianity  in  some  European  coun¬ 
tries  are  banishing  religion  from  the  schools,  in  order  grad¬ 
ually  to  eliminate  it  from  among  the  people.  In  this  they 
are  logical,  and  we  may  well  profit  by  the  lesson.  Hence 
the  cry  for  Christian  education  is  going  up  from  all  reli¬ 
gious  bodies  throughout  the  land.  And  this  is  no  narrow¬ 
ness  and  “sectarianism”  on  their  part;  it  is  an  honest  and 
logical  endeavor  to  preserve  Christian  truth  and  morality 
among  the  people  by  fostering  religion  in  the  young.  Nor 
is  it  any  antagonism  to  the  State;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  an 
honest  endeavor  to  give  to  the  State  better  citizens,  by  mak¬ 
ing  them  better  Christians.  The  friends  of  Christian  educa¬ 
tion  do  not  condemn  the  State  for  not  imparting  religious 
instruction  in  the  public  schools  as  they  are  now  organized; 
because  they  well  know  it  does  not  lie  within  the  province 
of  the  State  to  teach  religion.  They  simply  follow  their  con¬ 
science  by  sending  their  children  to  denominational  schools, 
where  religion  can  have  its  rightful  place  and  influence. 

Two  objects  therefore,  dear  brethren,  we  have  in  view, 
to  multiply  our  schools,  and  to  perfect  them.  We  must 
multiply  them,  till  every  Catholic  child  in  the  land  shall 
have  within  its  reach  the  means  of  education.  There  is  still 
much  to  do  ere  this  be  attained.  There  are  still  thousands 
of  Catholic  children  in  the  United  States  deprived  of  the 
benefit  of  a  Catholic  school.  Pastors  and  parents  should 
not  rest  till  this  defect  be  remedied.  No  parish  is  com¬ 
plete  till  it  has  schools  adequate  to  the  needs  of  its  chil¬ 
dren,  and  the  pastor  and  people  of  such  a  parish  should 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


247 


feel  that  they  have  not  accomplished  their  entire  duty  until 
the  want  is  supplied. 

But  then,  we  must  also  perfect  our  schools.  We  re¬ 
pudiate  the  idea  that  the  Catholic  school  need  be  in  any 
respect  inferior  to  any  other  school  whatsoever.  And  if 
hitherto,  in  some  places,  our  people  have  acted  on  the 
principle  that  it  is  better  to  have  an  imperfect  Catholic 
school  than  to  have  none,  let  them  now  push  their  praise¬ 
worthy  ambition  still  further,  and  not  relax  their  efforts 
till  their  schools  be  elevated  to  the  highest  educational  ex¬ 
cellence.  And  we  implore  parents  not  to  hasten  to  take 
their  children  from  school,  but  to  give  them  all  the  time  and 
all  the  advantages  that  they  have  the  capacity  to  profit  by, 
so  that,  in  after  life,  their  children  may  “rise  up  and  call 
them  blessed.” 

We  need  hardly  remind  you,  beloved  brethren,  that 
while  home  life  would  not,  as  a  rule,  be  sufficient  to  supply 
the  absence  of  good  or  counteract  the  evil 
of  dangerous  influences  in  the  school,  it  is  The  Christian 
equally  true,  that  all  that  the  Christian  Home, 
school  could  accomplish  would  be  inade¬ 
quate  without  the  co-operation  of  the  Christian  home. 
Christian  schools  sow  the  seed,  but  Christian  homes  must 
first  prepare  the  soil,  and  afterwards  foster  the  seed  and 
bring  it  to  maturity. 

1.  Christian  Marriage. — The  basis  of  the  Christian 
home  is  Christian  marriage;  that  is,  marriage  entered  into 
according  to  religion,  and  cemented  by  God’s  blessing.  So 
great  is  the  importance  of  marriage  to  the  temporal  and 
eternal  welfare  of  mankind,  that,  as  it  had  God  for  its 
Founder  in  the  Old  Law,  so,  in  the  New  Law,  it  was  raised 
by  Our  Divine  Lord  to  the  dignity  of  a  sacrament  of  the 
Christian  religion.  Natural  likings  and  instincts  have  their 
own  value  and  weight;  but  they  ought  not  by  themselves 
be  a  decisive  motive  in  so  important  a  step  as  Christian 
marriage;  nor  are  they  a  safe  guarantee  for  the  proper  ful¬ 
fillment  of  the  high  ends  for  which  marriage  was  ordained. 
That  Christian  hearts  and  lives  may  be  wisely  and  rightly 
joined,  God  must  join  them,  and  religion  sanctify  the  union; 
and  though  the  Church  sometimes  permits  the  contraction 


248  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

of  mixed  marriages,  she  never  does  so  without  regret  and 
without  a  feeling  of  anxiety  for  the  future  happiness  of  that 
union  and  for  the  eternal  salvation  of  its  offspring. 

2.  The  Indissolubility  of  Marriage . — The  security  of  the 
Christian  home  is  in  the  indissolubility  of  the  marriage  tie. 
Christian  marriage,  once  consummated,  can  never  be  dis¬ 
solved  save  by  death.  Let  it  be  well  understood  that  even 
adultery,  though  it  may  justify  “separation  from  bed  and 
board,”  cannot  loose  the  marriage  tie,  so  that  either  of  the 
parties  may  marry  again  during  the  life  of  the  other.  Nor 
has  “legal  divorce”  the  slightest  power,  before  God,  to  loose 
the  bond  of  marriage  and  to  make  a  subsequent  marriage 
valid.  “Whom  God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man  put 
asunder.”18  In  common  with  all  Christian  believers  and 
friends  of  civilization,  we  deplore  the  havoc  wrought  by  the 
divorce-laws  of  our  country.  These  laws  are  fast  loosening 
the  foundations  of  society.  Let  Catholics,  at  least  remem¬ 
ber  that  such  divorces  are  powerless  in  conscience.  Let 
them  enter  into  marriage  only  through  worthy  and  holy 
motives,  and  with  the  blessings  of  religion,  especially  with 
the  blessing  of  the  Nuptial  Mass.  And  then,  far  from  wish¬ 
ing  for  means  of  escape  from  their  union,  they  will  rejoice 
that  it  cannot  be  divided  but  by  death. 

3.  Home  Virtues. — The  pervading  atmosphere  of  the 
Christian  home  should  be  Christian  charity — the  love  of 
God  and  of  the  neighbor.  It  should  be  the  ambition  and 
study  of  Christian  parents  to  make  their  home  a  sanctuary, 
in  which  no  harsh  or  angry,  no  indelicate  or  profane  word, 
should  be  uttered, — in  which  truth,  unselfishness,  self-con¬ 
trol,  should  be  carefully  cultivated,  in  which  the  thought  of 
God,  the  desire  to  please  God,  should  be,  sweetly  and  natur¬ 
ally,  held  before  the  children  as  their  habitual  motives. 
From  the  home  sanctuary,  the  incense  of  prayer  should  as¬ 
cend  as  a  most  sweet  morning  and  evening  sacrifice  to  the 
Lord.  How  beautiful  and  rich  in  blessing  is  the  assembling 
of  parents  and  children  for  morning  and  evening  prayer! 
Our  hearts  are  filled  with  consolation  when,  in  the  course 
of  our  pastoral  visits,  we  meet  families  in  which  this  holy 
practice  is  faithfully  observed.  In  such  families,  we  are 


18  Matt,  xlx,  6. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


249 


sure  to  find  proofs  of  the  special  benedictions  of  heaven. 
Faith,  religion  and  virtue  are  there  fostered  to  luxuriant 
growth,  and  final  perseverance  almost  assured.  We  earn¬ 
estly  exhort  all  parents  to  this  salutary  custom.  And  if  it 
be  not  always  feasible  in  the  morning,  at  least  every  eve¬ 
ning,  at  a  fixed  hour,  let  the  entire  family  be  assembled  for 
night  prayers,  followed  by  a  short  reading  from  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  the  Following  of  Christ,  or  some  other  pious 
book. 

4.  Good  Reading . — Let  the  adornments  of  the  home  be 
chaste  and  holy  pictures,  and,  still  more,  sound,  interesting, 
and  profitable  books.  No  indelicate  representation  should 
ever  be  tolerated  in  a  Christian  home.  Artistic  merit  in  the 
work  is  no  excuse  for  the  danger  thus  presented.  No  child 
ought  to  be  subjected  to  temptation  by  its  own  parents  and 
in  its  own  home.  But  let  the  walls  be  beautified  with  what 
will  keep  the  inmates  in  mind  of  our  Divine  Lord,  and  of 
his  saints,  and  with  such  other  pictures  of  the  great  and 
the  good  as  will  be  incentives  to  civic  and  religious  virtue. 

The  same  remark  applies  equally  to  books  and  period¬ 
icals.  Not  only  should  the  immoral,  the  vulgar,  the  sen¬ 
sational  novel,  the  indecently  illustrated  newspaper,  and 
publications  tending  to  weaken  faith  in  the  religion  and  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  be  absolutely  excluded  from  every 
Christian  home,  but  the  dangerously  exciting  and  morbidly 
emotional,  whatever,  in  a  word,  is  calculated  to  impair  or 
lower  the  tone  of  faith  or  morals  in  the  youthful  mind  and 
heart,  should  be  carefully  banished.  Parents  would  be 
sure  to  warn  and  withhold  their  children  from  anything 
that  would  poison  or  sicken  their  bodies;  let  them  be  at 
least  as  watchful  against  intellectual  and  moral  poison. 
But  let  the  family  book-shelves  be  well  supplied  with  what 
is  both  pleasant  and  wholesome.  Happily,  the  store  of 
Catholic  literature,  as  well  as  works  which,  though  not 
written  by  Catholics  nor  treating  of  religion,  are  pure,  in¬ 
structive  and  elevating,  is  now  so  large  that  there  can  be 
no  excuse  for  running  risk  of  wasting  one’s  time  with  what 
is  inferior,  tainted,  or  suspicious.  Remember,  Christian 
parents,  that  the  development  of  the  youthful  character  is 
intimately  connected  with  the  development  of  the  taste 


250  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

for  reading.  To  books  as  well  as  to  associations  may  be  ap¬ 
plied  the  wise  saying:  “Show  me  your  company  and  I  will 
tell  you  what  you  are.”  See,  then,  that  none  but  good  books 
and  newspapers,  as  well  as  none  but  good  companions,  be 
admitted  to  your  homes.  Train  your  children  to  a  love  of 
history  and  biography.  Inspire  them  with  the  ambition  to 
become  so  well  acquainted  with  the  history  and  doctrines 
of  the  Church  as  to  be  able  to  give  an  intelligent  answer  to 
any  honest  inquiry.  Should  their  surroundings  call  for  it, 
encourage  them,  as  they  grow  older,  to  acquire  such  know¬ 
ledge  of  popularly  mooted  questions  of  a  scientific  or 
philosophical  character  as  will  suffice  to  make  them  firm  in 
their  faith  and  proof  against  sophistry.  We  should  be  glad 
to  see  thoroughly  solid  and  popular  works  on  these  impor¬ 
tant  subjects,  from  able  Catholic  writers,  become  more  num¬ 
erous.  Teach  your  children  to  take  a  special  interest  in 
the  history  of  our  country.  We  consider  the  establishment 
of  our  country’s  independence,  the  shaping  of  its  liberties 
and  laws  as  a  work  of  special  Providence,  its  framers 
“building  wiser  than  they  knew,”  the  Almighty’s  hand  guid¬ 
ing  them.  And  if  ever  the  glorious  fabric  is  subverted  or 
impaired  it  will  be  by  men  forgetful  of  the  sacrifices  of  the 
heroes  that  reared  it,  the  virtues  that  cemented  it,  and  the 
principles  on  which  it  rests,  or  ready  to  sacrifice  principle 
and  virtue  to  the  interests  of  self  or  party.  As  we  desire 
therefore  that  the  history  of  the  United  States  should  be 
carefully  taught  in  all  our  Catholic  schools,  and  have  di¬ 
rected  that  it  be  specially  dwelt  upon  in  the  education  of 
the  young  ecclesiastical  students  in  our  preparatory  semi¬ 
naries;  so  also  we  desire  that  it  form  a  favorite  part  of 
the  home  library  and  home  reading.  We  must  keep  firm 
and  solid  the  liberties  of  our  country  by  keeping  fresh  the 
noble  memories  of  the  past  and  thus  sending  forth  from  our 
Catholic  homes  into  the  arena  of  public  life  not  partisans 
but  patriots. 

5.  The  Holy  Scriptures. — But  it  can  hardly  be  neces¬ 
sary  for  us  to  remind  you,  beloved  brethren,  that  the  most 
highly  valued  treasure  of  every  family  library,  and  the 
most  frequently  and  lovingly  made  use  of,  should  be  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  Doubtless  you  have  often  read  A’Kempis’s 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


251 


burning  thanksgiving  to  our  Lord  for  having  bestowed  on 
us  not  only  the  adorable  treasure  of  His  Body  in  the  Holy 
Eucharist,  but  also  that  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  “the  Holy 
Books,  for  the  comfort  and  direction  of  our  life.” 19  And 
you  have  before  your  eyes,  prefixed  to  the  Douay  version 
of  the  Holy  Bible,  the  exhortation  of  Pope  Pius  the  Sixth 
in  his  letter  to  the  Archbishop  of  Florence,  that  “the  faith¬ 
ful  should  be  moved  to  the  reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures; 
for  these,”  he  says,  “are  most  abundant  sources  which  ought 
to  be  left  open  to  every  one  to  draw  from  them  purity  of 
morals  and  of  doctrine,  to  eradicate  the  errors  which  are 
so  widely  disseminated  in  these  corrupt  times.”  And  St. 
Paul  declares  that  “what  things  soever  were  written,  were 
written  for  our  learning;  that  through  patience  and  the 
comfort  of  the  Scriptures  we  might  have  hope.”20  We  hope 
that  no  family  can  be  found  amongst  us  without  a  correct 
version  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Among  other  versions,  we 
recommend  the  Douay,  which  is  venerable  as  used  by  our 
forefathers  for  three  centuries,  which  comes  down  to  us 
sanctioned  by  innumerable  authorizations,  and  which  was 
suitably  annotated  by  the  learned  Bishop  Challoner,  by 
Canon  Haydock,  and  especially  by  the  late  Archbishop 
Kenrick. 

But  in  your  reading  remember  the  admonition  of 
A’Kempis:  “The  Holy  Scriptures  must  be  read  in  the  same 
spirit  in  which  they  were  written;  if  thou  wilt  derive  profit, 
read  with  humility,  simplicity  and  faith.” 21  And  keep  ever 
before  your  mind  the  principle  laid  down  by  St.  Peter  in 
the  first  chapter  of  his  second  Epistle:  “Understanding  this 
first,  that  no  prophecy  of  Scripture  is  made  by  private  in¬ 
terpretation,  for  prophecy  came  not  by  the  will  of  man  at 
any  time,  but  the  holy  men  of  God  spoke,  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.”  And  this  other  given  by  St.  John,  in  the 
fourth  chapter  of  his  first  Epistle,  in  the  name  of  the  Apos¬ 
tolic  teaching  Church:  “Dearly  beloved,  believe  not  every 
spirit,  but  try  the  spirits  if  they  be  of  God.  We  are  of  God; 
he  that  knoweth  God  heareth  us;  he  that  is  not  of  God 
heareth  us  not;  by  this  we  know  the  spirit  of  truth  and  the 

19  Fol.  of  Christ,  B.  4.  c.  ii.  20  Rom.  xv.  21  B.  1,  c.  v. 


252  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

spirit  of  error.”  In  these  two  divinely  inspired  rules  you 
have  always  a  sure  safe-guard  against  the  danger  of  error. 

6.  The  Catholic  Press. — Finally,  Christian  parents,  let 
us  beg  your  earnest  consideration  of  this  important  truth, 
that  upon  you,  singly  and  individually,  must  practically  de¬ 
pend  the  solution  of  the  question,  whether  or  not  the  Cath¬ 
olic  press  is  to  accomplish  the  great  work  which  Providence 
and  the  Church  expect  of  it  at  this  time.  So  frequently  and 
so  forcibly  has  the  providential  mission  of  the  press  been 
dwelt  upon  by  Popes  and  prelates  and  distinguished  Cath¬ 
olic  writers,  and  so  assiduously  have  their  utterances  been 
quoted  and  requoted  everywhere,  that  no  one  certainly 
stands  in  need  of  arguments  to  be  convinced  of  this  truth. 
But  all  this  will  be  only  words  in  the  air,  unless  it  can  be 
brought  home  to  each  parent  and  made  practical  in  each 
household.  If  the  head  of  each  Catholic  family  will  recog¬ 
nize  it  as  his  privilege  and  his  duty  to  contribute  towards 
supporting  the  Catholic  press,  by  subscribing  for  one  or 
more  Catholic  periodicals,  and  keeping  himself  well  ac¬ 
quainted  with  the  information  they  impart,  then  the  Cath¬ 
olic  press  will  be  sure  to  attain  to  its  rightful  development 
and  to  accomplish  its  destined  mission.  But  choose  a  jour¬ 
nal  that  is  thoroughly  Catholic,  instructive  and  edifying; 
not  one  that  would  be,  while  Catholic  in  name  or  pretense, 
uncatholic  in  tone  and  spirit,  disrespectful  to  constituted 
authority,  or  biting  and  uncharitable  to  Catholic  brethren. 

Beloved  brethren,  a  great  social  revolution  is  sweeping 
over  the  world.  Its  purpose,  hidden  or  avowed,  is  to  de¬ 
throne  Christ  and  religion.  The  ripples  of  the  movement 
have  been  observed  in  our  country;  God  grant  that  its  tidal 
wave  may  not  break  over  us.  Upon  you,  Christian  parents, 
it  mainly  depends  whether  it  shall  or  not;  for,  such  as  our 
homes  are,  such  shall  our  people  be.  We  beseech  you, 
therefore,  to  ponder  carefully  all  that  we  have  said  con¬ 
cerning  the  various  constitutents  of  a  true  Christian 
home,  and,  to  the  utmost  of  your  ability,  to  carry  them 
into  effect.  And  we  entreat  all  pastors  of  souls  to  bear 
unceasingly  in  mind,  that  upon  the  Christian  school  and  the 
Christian  homes  in  their  parishes  must  mainly  depend  the 
fruit  of  their  priestly  labors.  Let  them  concentrate  their 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


253 


efforts  on  these  two  points, — to  make  the  schools  and  the 
homes  what  they  ought  to  be; — then  indeed  will  they  carry 
to  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  full  and  ripe  sheaves,  and  the 
future  generation  will  bless  them  for  transmitting  unim¬ 
paired  the  priceless  gifts  of  faith  and  religion. 

There  are  many  sad  facts  in  the  experience  of  nations, 
which  we  may  well  store  up  as  lessons  of  practical  wisdom. 
Not  the  least  important  of  these  is  the  fact 
that  one  of  the  surest  marks  and  measures  The 

of  the  decay  of  religion  in  a  people,  is  Lord’s  Day. 
their  non-observance  of  the  Lord’s  Day. 

In  traveling  through  some  European  countries,  a  Christian’s 
heart  is  pained  by  the  almost  unabated  rush  of  toil  and 
traffic  on  Sunday.  First,  grasping  avarice  thought  it  could 
not  afford  to  spare  the  day  to  God;  then  unwise  govern¬ 
ments,  yielding  to  the  pressure  of  mammon,  relaxed  the  laws 
which  for  many  centuries  had  guarded  the  day’s  sacredness 
— forgetting  that  there  are  certain  fundamental  principles, 
which  ought  not  to  be  sacrificed  to  popular  caprice  or  greed. 
And  when,  as  usually  happens,  neglect  of  religion  had 
passed,  by  lapse  of  time,  into  hostility  to  religion,  this  grow¬ 
ing  neglect  of  the  Lord’s  Day  was  easily  made  use  of  as  a 
means  to  bring  religion  itself  into  contempt.  The  Church 
mourned,  protested,  struggled,  but  was  almost  powerless  to 
resist  the  combined  forces  of  popular  avarice  and  Caesar’s 
influence,  arrayed  on  the  side  of  irreligion.  The  result  is 
the  lamentable  desecration  which  all  Christians  must  de¬ 
plore. 

And  the  consequences  of  this  desecration  are  as  manifest 
as  the  desecration  itself.  The  Lord’s  Day  is  the  poor  man’s 
day  of  rest;  it  has  been  taken  from  him, — and  the  laboring 
classes  are  a  seething  volcano  of  social  discontent.  The 
Lord’s  Day  is  the  home  day,  drawing  closer  the  sweet  do¬ 
mestic  ties,  by  giving  the  toiler  a  day  with  wife  and  chil¬ 
dren;  but  it  has  been  turned  into  a  day  of  labor, — and  home 
ties  are  fast  losing  their  sweetness  and  their  hold.  The 
Lord’s  Day  is  the  church-day,  strengthening  and  consecrat¬ 
ing  the  bond  of  brotherhood  among  all  men,  by  their  kneel¬ 
ing  together  around  the  altars  of  the  one  Father  in  heaven; 
but  men  are  drawn  away  from  this  blessed  communion  of 


254  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

Saints, — and  as  a  natural  consequence  they  are  lured  into 
the  counterfeit  communion  of  Socialism,  and  other  wild 
and  destructive  systems.  The  Lord’s  Day  is  God’s  Day, 
rendering  ever  nearer  and  more  intimate  the  union  between 
the  creature  and  his  Creator,  and  thus  ennobling  human 
life  in  all  its  relations;  and  where  this  bond  is  weakened,  an 
effort  is  made  to  cut  man  loose  from  God  entirely,  and  to 
leave  him,  according  to  the  expression  of  St.  Paul,  “with¬ 
out  God  in  this  world.”22  The  profanation  of  the  Lord’s 
Day,  whatever  be  its  pretext,  is  a  defrauding  both  of  God 
and  His  creatures,  and  retribution  is  not  slow. 

In  this  country,  there  are  tendencies  and  influences  at 
work  to  bring  about  a  similar  result;  and  it  behooves  all 
who  love  God  and  care  for  society,  to  see  that  they  be 
checked.  As  usual,  greed  for  gain  lies  at  the  bottom  of 
the  movement.  Even  when  the  pretence  put  forward  is 
popular  convenience  or  popular  amusement,  the  clamor 
for  larger  liberty  does  not  come  so  much  from  those  who 
desire  the  convenience  or  the  amusement,  as  from  those 
who  hope  to  enrich  themselves  by  supplying  it.  Now  far  be 
it  from  us  to  advocate  such  Sunday-laws  as  would  hinder 
necessary  work,  or  prohibit  such  popular  enjoyments  as 
are  consistent  with  the  sacredness  of  the  day.  It  is  well 
known,  however,  that  the  tendency  is  to  rush  far  beyond 
the  bounds  of  necessity  and  propriety,  and  to  allege  these 
reasons  only  as  an  excuse  for  virtually  ignoring  the  sacred¬ 
ness  of  the  day  altogether.  But  no  community  can  afford 
to  have  either  gain  or  amusement  at  such  a  cost.  To  turn 
the  Lord’s  Day  into  a  day  of  toil,  is  a  blighting  curse  to  a 
country;  to  turn  it  into  a  day  of  dissipation  would  be  worse. 
We  earnestly  appeal,  therefore,  to  all  Catholics  without  dis¬ 
tinction,  not  only  to  take  no  part  in  any  movement  tending 
toward  a  relaxation  of  the  observance  of  Sunday,  but  to 
use  their  influence  and  power  as  citizens  to  resist  in  the 
opposite  direction. 

There  is  one  way  of  profaning  the  Lord’s  Day  which  is 
so  prolific  of  evil  results,  that  we  consider  it  our  duty  to 
utter  against  it  a  special  condemnation.  This  is  the  practice 
of  selling  beer  or  other  liquors  on  Sunday,  or  of  frequent- 

22  Ephes.  ii.  12. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


255 


ing  places  where  they  are  sold.  This  practice  tends  more 
than  any  other  to  turn  the  Day  of  the  Lord  into  a  day  of 
dissipation,  to  use  it  as  an  occasion  for  breeding  intem¬ 
perance.  While  we  hope  that  Sunday-laws  on  this  point  will 
not  be  relaxed,  but  even  more  rigidly  enforced,  we  implore 
all  Catholics,  for  the  love  of  God  and  of  country,  never  to  take 
part  in  such  Sunday  traffic,  nor  to  patronize  or  countenance 
it.  And  we  not  only  direct  the  attention  of  all  pastors  to 
the  repression  of  this  abuse,  but  we  also  call  upon  them  to 
induce  all  of  their  flocks  that  may  be  engaged  in  the  sale 
of  liquors  to  abandon  as  soon  as  they  can  the  dangerous 
traffic,  and  to  embrace  a  more  becoming  way  of  making  a 
living. 

And  here  it  behooves  us  to  remind  our  workingmen, 
the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  people  and  the  specially  beloved 
children  of  the  Church,  that  if  they  wish  to  observe  Sundays 
as  they  ought,  they  must  keep  away  from  drinking  places 
on  Saturday  night.  Carry  your  wages  home  to  your  fam¬ 
ilies,  where  they  rightfully  belong.  Turn  a  deaf  ear,  there¬ 
fore,  to  every  temptation;  and  then  Sunday  will  be  a  bright 
day  for  all  the  family.  How  much  better  this  than  to 
make  it  a  day  of  sin  for  yourselves,  and  of  gloom  and 
wretchedness  for  your  home,  by  a  Saturday  night’s  folly 
or  debauch.  No  wonder  that  the  Prelates  of  the  Second 
Plenary  Council  declared  that  “the  most  shocking  scandals 
which  we  have  to  deplore  spring  from  intemperance.”  No 
wonder  that  they  gave  a  special  approval  to  the  zeal  of 
those  who,  the  better  to  avoid  excess,  or  in  order  to  give 
bright  example,  pledge  themselves  to  total  abstinence. 
Like  them  we  invoke  a  blessing  on  the  cause  of  temperance, 
and  on  all  who  are  laboring  for  its  advancement  in  a  true 
Christian  spirit.  Let  the  exertions  of  our  Catholic  Tem¬ 
perance  Societies  meet  with  the  hearty  co-operation  of 
pastors  and  people;  and  not  only  will  they  go  far  towards 
strangling  the  monstrous  evil  of  intemperance,  but  they 
will  also  put  a  powerful  check  on  the  desecration  of  the 
Lord’s  Day,  and  on  the  evil  influences  now  striving  for  its 
total  profanation. 

Let  all  our  people  “remember  to  keep  holy  the  Lord’s 
Day.”  Let  them  make  it  not  only  a  day  of  rest,  but  also  a 


256  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

day  of  prayer.  Let  then  sanctify  it  by  assisting  at  the  ador¬ 
able  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  Besides  the  privilege  of  the 
morning  Mass,  let  them  also  give  their  souls  the  sweet  en¬ 
joyment  of  the  Vesper  service  and  the  Benediction  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament.  See  that  the  children  not  only  hear 
Mass,  but  also  attend  the  Sunday-school.  It  will  help  them 
to  grow  up  more  practical  Catholics.  In  country  places, 
and  especially  in  those  which  the  priest  cannot  visit  every 
Sunday,  the  Sunday-school  ought  to  be  the  favorite  place 
of  reunion  for  young  and  old.  It  will  keep  them  from  going 
astray,  and  will  strengthen  them  in  the  faith.  How  many 
children  have  been  lost  to  the  Church  in  country  districts, 
because  parents  neglected  to  see  that  they  obeserved  the 
Sunday  properly  at  home  and  at  Sunday-school,  and 
allowed  them  to  fall  under  dangerous  influences! 

One  of  the  most  striking  characteristics  of  our  times  is 
the  universal  tendency  to  band  together  in  societies  for  the 

promotion  of  all  sorts  of  purposes.  This 
Forbidden  tendency  is  the  natural  outgrowth  of  an 
Societies.  age  of  popular  rights  and  representative 
institutions.  It  is  also  in  accordance  with 
the  spirit  of  the  Church,  whose  aim,  as  indicated  by  her 
name  Catholic,  is  to  unite  all  mankind  in  brotherhood.  It 
is  consonant  also  with  the  spirit  of  Christ,  who  came  to 
break  down  all  walls  of  division,  and  to  gather  all  in  the 
one  family  of  the  one  heavenly  Father. 

But  there  are  few  good  things  which  have  not  their 
counterfeits,  and  few  tendencies  which  have  not  their  dan¬ 
gers.  It  is  obvious  to  any  reflecting  mind  that  men  form 
bad  and  rash  as  well  as  good  and  wise  designs;  and  that 
they  may  band  together  for  carrying  out  evil  or  dangerous 
as  well  as  laudable  and  useful  purposes.  And  this  does  not 
necessarily  imply  deliberate  malice,  because,  while  it  is 
unquestionably  true  that  there  are  powers  at  work  in  the 
world  which  deliberately  antagonize  the  cause  of  Christian 
truth  and  virtue,  still  the  evil  or  the  danger  of  purposes 
and  associations  need  not  always  spring  from  so  bad  a 
root.  Honest  but  weak  and  erring  human  nature  is  apt  to 
be  so  taken  up  with  one  side  of  a  question  as  to  do  injustice 
to  the  other;  to  be  so  enamored  of  favorite  principles  as  to 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


257 


carry  them  to  unjustifiable  extremes;  to  be  so  intent  upon 
securing  some  laudable  end  as  to  ignore  the  rules  of  pru¬ 
dence,  and  bring  about  ruin  instead  of  restoration.  But  no 
intention,  no  matter  how  honest,  can  make  lawful  what  is 
unlawful.  For  it  is  a  fundamental  rule  of  Christian  morals 
that  “evil  must  not  be  done  that  good  may  come  of  it,” 
and  “the  end  can  never  justify  the  means,”  if  the  means 
are  evil.  Hence  it  is  the  evident  duty  of  every  reasonable 
man,  before  allowing  himself  to  be  drawn  into  any  society, 
to  make  sure  that  both  its  ends  and  its  means  are  consistent 
with  truth,  justice  and  conscience. 

In  making  such  a  decision,  every  Catholic  ought  to  be 
convinced  that  his  surest  guide  is  the  Church  of  Christ. 
She  has  in  her  custody  the  sacred  deposit  of  Christian  truth 
and  morals;  she  has  the  experience  of  all  ages  and  all  na¬ 
tions;  she  has  at  heart  the  true  welfare  of  mankind;  she 
has  the  perpetual  guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  her  author¬ 
itative  decisions.  In  her  teaching  and  her  warnings  there¬ 
fore,  we  are  sure  to  hear  the  voice  of  wisdom,  prudence, 
justice  and  charity.  From  the  hill-top  of  her  Divine  mis¬ 
sion  and  her  world-wide  experience,  she  sees  events  and 
their  consequences  far  more  clearly  than  they  who  are 
down  in  the  tangled  plain  of  daily  life.  She  has  seen  as¬ 
sociations  that  were  once  praiseworthy,  become  pernicious 
by  change  of  circumstances.  She  has  seen  others,  which 
won  the  admiration  of  the  world  by  their  early  achieve¬ 
ments,  corrupted  by  power  or  passion  or  evil  guidance,  and 
she  has  been  forced  to  condemn  them.  She  has  beheld 
associations  which  had  their  origin  in  the  spirit  of  the 
Ages  of  Faith,  transformed  by  lapse  of  time,  and  loss  of 
faith,  and  the  manipulation  of  designing  leaders,  into  the 
open  or  hidden  enemies  of  religion  and  human  weal.  Thus 
our  Holy  Father  Leo  XIII  has  lately  shown  that  the  Masonic 
and  kindred  societies, — although  the  offspring  of  the  an¬ 
cient  Guilds,  which  aimed  at  sanctifying  trades  and  trades¬ 
men  with  the  blessings  of  religion;  and  although  retaining, 
perhaps,  in  their  “ritual,”  much  that  tells  of  the  religious¬ 
ness  of  their  origin;  and  although  in  some  countries  still 
professing  entire  friendliness  toward  the  Christian  reli¬ 
gion, — have  nevertheless  already  gone  so  far,  in  many  coun- 


258  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

tries,  as  to  array  themselves  in  avowed  hostility  against 
Christianity,  and  against  the  Catholic  Church  as  its  em¬ 
bodiment;  that  they  virtually  aim  at  substituting  a  world¬ 
wide  fraternity  of  their  own,  for  the  universal  brotherhood 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  at  disseminating  mere  Naturalism  for 
the  supernatural  revealed  religion  bestowed  upon  man¬ 
kind  by  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  He  has  shown,  too,  that, 
even  in  countries  where  they  are  as  yet  far  from  acknowl¬ 
edging  such  purposes,  they  nevertheless  have  in  them  the 
germs,  which  under  favorable  circumstances,  would  inevi¬ 
tably  blossom  forth  in  similar  results.  The  Church,  con¬ 
sequently,  forbids  her  children  to  have  any  connection  with 
such  societies,  because  they  are  either  an  open  evil  to  be 
shunned  or  a  hidden  danger  to  be  avoided.  She  would 
fail  in  her  duty  if  she  did  not  speak  the  word  of  warning, 
and  her  children  would  equally  fail  in  theirs,  if  they  did 
not  heed  it. 

Whenever,  therefore,  the  Church  has  spoken  author¬ 
itatively  with  regard  to  any  society,  her  decision  ought  to 
be  final  for  every  Catholic.  He  ought  to  know  that  the 
Church  has  not  acted  hastily  or  unwisely,  or  mistakenly; 
he  should  be  convinced  that  any  worldly  advantages  which 
he  might  derive  from  his  membership  of  such  society, 
would  be  a  poor  substitute  for  the  membership,  the  sacra¬ 
ments,  and  the  blessings  of  the  Church  of  Christ;  he  should 
have  the  courage  of  his  religious  convictions,  and  stand 
firm  to  faith  and  conscience.  But  if  he  be  inclined  or  asked 
to  join  a  society  on  which  the  Church  has  passed  no  sen¬ 
tence,  then  let  him,  as  a  reasonable  and  Christian  man,  ex¬ 
amine  into  it  carefully,  and  not  join  the  society  until  he  is 
satisfied  as  to  its  lawful  character. 

There  is  one  characteristic  which  is  always  a  strong 
presumption  against  a  society,  and  that  is  secrecy.  Our 
Divine  Lord  Himself  has  laid  down  the  rule:  “Every  one 
that  doth  evil,  hateth  the  light  and  cometh  not  to  the  light, 
that  his  works  may  not  be  reproved.  But  he  that  doth  truth 
cometh  to  the  light  that  his  works  may  be  made  manifest, 
because  they  are  done  in  God.” 23  When,  therefore  associa¬ 
tions  veil  themselves  in  secrecy  and  darkness,  the  presump- 

23  John  111.  20,  21. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


259 


tion  is  against  them,  and  it  rests  with  them  to  prove  that 
there  is  nothing  evil  in  them. 

But  if  any  society’s  obligation  be  such  as  to  bind  its 
members  to  secrecy,  even  when  rightly  questioned  by  com¬ 
petent  authority,  then  such  a  society  puts  itself  outside  the 
limits  of  approval;  and  no  one  can  be  a  member  of  it  and  at 
the  same  time  be  admitted  to  the  sacraments  of  the  Cath¬ 
olic  Church.  The  same  is  true  of  any  organization  that 
binds  its  members  to  a  promise  of  blind  obedience — to 
accept  in  advance  and  to  obey  whatsoever  orders,  lawful 
or  unlawful,  that  may  emanate  from  its  chief  authorities; 
because  such  a  promise  is  contrary  both  to  reason  and  con¬ 
science.  And  if  a  society  works  or  plots,  either  openly  on 
in  secret,  against  the  Church,  or  against  lawful  authorities, 
then  to  be  a  member  of  it  is  to  be  excluded  from  the  mem¬ 
bership  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

These  authoritative  rules,  therefore,  ought  to  be  the 
guide  of  all  Catholics  in  their  relations  with  societies.  No 
Catholic  can  conscientiously  join,  or  continue  in,  a  body  in 
which  he  knows  that  any  of  these  condemned  features  exist. 
If  he  has  joined  it  in  good  faith  and  the  objectionable  feat¬ 
ures  become  known  to  him  afterwards,  or  if  any  of  these 
evil  elements  creep  into  a  society  which  was  originally  good, 
it  becomes  his  duty  to  leave  it  at  once.  And  even  if  he  were 
to  suffer  loss  or  run  the  risk  by  leaving  such  a  society  or 
refusing  to  join  it,  he  should  do  his  duty  and  brave  the 
consequences  regardless  of  human  consideration. 

To  these  laws  of  the  Church,  the  justice  of  which  must 
be  manifest  to  all  impartial  minds,  we  deem  it  necessary 
to  add  the  following  admonition  of  the  Second  Plenary 
Council:24  “Care  must  be  taken  lest  workingmen’s  socie¬ 
ties,  under  the  pretext  of  mutual  assistance  and  protection, 
should  commit  any  of  the  evils  of  condemned  societies;  and 
lest  the  members  should  be  induced  by  the  artifices  of  de¬ 
signing  men  to  break  the  laws  of  justice,  by  withholding 
labor  to  which  they  are  rightfully  bound,  or  by  otherwise 
unlawfully  violating  the  rights  of  their  employers.” 

But  while  the  Church  is  thus  careful  to  guard  her  chil¬ 
dren  against  whatever  is  contrary  to  Christian  duty,  she  is 


24  No.  519. 


260 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


no  less  careful  that  no  injustice  should  be  done  to  any  as¬ 
sociation,  however  unintentionally.  While  therefore  the 
Church,  before  prohibiting  any  society,  will  take  every  pre¬ 
caution  to  ascertain  its  true  nature,  we  positively  forbid 
any  pastor,  or  other  ecclesiastic,  to  pass  sentence  on  any 
association  or  to  impose  ecclesiastical  penalties  or  dis¬ 
abilities  on  its  members  without  the  previous  explicit  au¬ 
thorization  of  the  rightful  authorities. 

It  is  not  enough  for  Catholics  to  shun  bad  or  dangerous 
societies,  they  ought  to  take  part  in  good  and  useful  ones. 

If  there  ever  was  a  time  when  merely  neg- 
Catholic  ative  goodness  would  not  suffice,  such 

Societies.  assuredly  is  the  age  in  which  we  live.  This 

is  pre-eminently  an  age  of  action,  and  what 
we  need  to-day  is  active  virtue  and  energetic  piety.  Again 
and  again  has  the  voice  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ  been  heard, 
giving  approval  and  encouragement  to  many  kinds  of  Cath¬ 
olic  associations,  not  only  as  a  safeguard  against  the  allure¬ 
ments  of  dangerous  societies,  but  also  as  a  powerful  means 
of  accomplishing  much  of  the  good  that  our  times  stand  in 
need  of.  Not  only  should  the  pastors  of  the  Church  be 
hard  at  work  in  building  up  “the  spiritual  house,”25  “the 
tabernacle  of  God  with  men,”26  but  every  hand  among  the 
people  of  God  should  share  in  the  labor. 

In  the  first  place,  we  hope  that  in  every  parish  in  the 
land  there  is  some  sodality  or  confraternity  to  foster  piety 
among  the  people.  We  therefore  heartily  endorse  anew 
all  approbations  previously  given  to  our  many  time-hon¬ 
ored  and  cherished  confraternities,  such  as  those  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin. 

Next  come  the  various  associations  for  works  of  Chris¬ 
tian  zeal  and  charity:  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Faith,  and  the  Holy  Childhood,  than  which  there  are 
none  more  deserving;  societies  for  the  support  of  Catholic 
education;  Christian  doctrine  societies  for  the  work  of  Sun¬ 
day-schools;  societies  for  improving  the  condition  of  the 
poor,  among  which  stands  pre-eminent  the  Society  of  St. 
Vincent  de  Paul;  church-debt  societies;  societies  for  sup- 

26  Apoc.  xxi,  3. 


25  Pet.  ii.  5. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


261 


plying  poor  churches  with  vestments  and  other  altar  re¬ 
quirements;  local  sanctuary  societies;  and  other  methods  of 
uniting  the  efforts  of  the  people  of  the  parish  for  useful  and 
holy  purposes.  It  ought  to  be  the  comfort  and  the  honest 
pride  of  every  Catholic  to  take  an  active  part  in  these  good 
works;  and  if  any  are  hindered  from  contributing  a  por¬ 
tion  of  their  time  and  labor,  they  should  contribute  as  lib¬ 
erally  as  they  can  out  of  their  pecuniary  resources. 

Then  there  are  associations  for  the  checking  of  immo¬ 
rality,  prominent  among  which  are  our  Catholic  Temper¬ 
ance  Societies.  These  should  be  encouraged  and  aided 
by  all  who  deplore  the  scandal  given  and  the  spiritual  ruin 
wrought  by  intemperance.  It  is  a  mistake  to  imagine  that 
such  societies  are  made  up  of  the  reformed  victims  of  in¬ 
temperance.  They  should  be,  and  we  trust  that  they  every¬ 
where  are  largely  composed  of  zealous  Catholics  who  never 
were  tainted  by  that  vice,  but  who  mourn  over  the  great  evil 
and  are  energetically  endeavoring  to  correct  it. 

We  likewise  consider  as  worthy  of  particular  encourage¬ 
ment  associations  for  the  promotion  of  healthful  social 
union  among  Catholics, — and  especially  those,  whose  aim  is 
to  guard  our  Catholic  young  men  against  dangerous  in¬ 
fluences,  and  supply  them  with  the  means  of  innocent 
amusement  and  mental  culture.  It  is  obvious  that  our  young 
men  are  exposed  to  the  greatest  dangers,  and  therefore 
need  the  most  abundant  helps.  Hence,  in  the  spirit  of  our 
Holy  Father  Leo  XIII,  we  desire  to  see  the  number  of  thor¬ 
oughly  Catholic  and  well  organized  associations  for  their 
benefit  greatly  increased,  especially  in  our  large  cities;  we 
exhort  pastors  to  consider  the  formation  and  careful  di¬ 
rection  of  such  societies  as  one  of  their  most  important 
duties;  and  we  appeal  to  our  young  men  to  put  to  good 
profit,  the  best  years  of  their  lives,  by  banding  together, 
under  the  direction  of  their  pastors,  for  mutual  improve¬ 
ment  and  encouragement  in  the  paths  of  faith  and  virtue. 

And  in  order  to  acknowledge  the  great  amount  of  good 
that  the  “Catholic  Young  Men’s  National  Union”  has  al¬ 
ready  accomplished,  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  Union 
and  to  stimulate  its  members  to  greater  efforts  in  the  future, 


262  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

we  cordially  bless  their  aims  and  endeavors  and  recom¬ 
mend  the  Union  to  all  our  Catholic  young  men. 

We  also  esteem  as  a  very  important  element  in  practical 
Catholicity,  the  various  forms  of  Catholic  beneficial  socie¬ 
ties  and  kindred  association  of  Catholic  workingmen.  It 
ought  to  be,  and  we  trust  is  everywhere  their  aim  to  en¬ 
courage  habits  of  industry,  thrift,  and  sobriety;  to  guard 
the  members  against  the  dangerous  attractions  of 
condemned  or  suspicious  organizations;  and  to  secure  the 
faithful  practice  of  their  religious  duties,  on  which  their 
temporal  as  well  as  their  eternal  welfare  so  largely  depends. 

With  paternal  affection  we  bestow  our  blessing  upon  all 
those  various  forms  of  combined  Catholic  action  for  useful 
and  holy  purposes.  We  desire  to  see  their  number  multi¬ 
plied  and  their  organization  perfected.  We  beseech  them 
to  remember  that  their  success  and  usefulness  must  rest 
in  a  great  measure,  upon  their  fidelity  to  the  spirit  of  the 
Church,  and  on  their  guarding  carefully  against  influences 
that  might  make  them  disloyal.  The  more  closely  pastors 
and  people  are  united  in  good  works,  the  more  abundantly 
will  those  associations  be  blessed  and  their  ends  accom¬ 
plished,  the  more  perfectly  will  all  Christians  be  united  in 
fraternal  charity,  and  the  more  widely  and  firmly  will  the 
Kingdom  of  Christ  on  the  earth  be  established. 

The  duties  of  a  Christian  begin  with  his  own  household 
and  his  own  parish;  but  they  do  not  end  there.  The  charity 

and  zeal  in  his  heart  must  be  like  that  In 

Home  and  the  heart  of  the  Church,  whose  very  name 
Foreign  is  Catholic, — like  that  in  the  heart  of 

Missions.  Christ,  who  “died  for  all  men,  and  gave 

Himself  a  redemption  for  all.”  27  The  Di¬ 
vine  commission  to  the  Church  stands  forever:  “Go,  teach 
all  nations;  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature;”28  and 
every  one  who  desires  the  salvation  of  souls,  should  yearn 
for  its  fulfillment,  and  consider  it  a  privilege  to  take  part  in 
its  realization.  The  more  we  appreciate  the  gift  of  faith, 
the  more  must  we  long  to  have  it  imparted  to  others.  The 
heart  of  every  true  Catholic  must  glow  as  he  reads  of  the 
heroic  labors  of  our  missionaries  among  the  heathen  nations 

27  2  Cor.  v.  15;  1  Tim.  ii.  6.  28  Matt,  xxviii.  19;  Mark  xvi.  15. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1884 


263 


in  every  part  of  the  world,  and  especially  among  the  Indian 
tribes  of  our  country.  The  missionary  spirit  is  one  of  the 
glories  of  the  Church  and  one  of  the  chief  characteristics 
of  Christian  zeal. 

In  nearly  all  European  countries  there  are  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sion  Colleges,  and  also  associations  of  the  faithful  for  the 
support  of  the  missions  by  their  contributions.  Hitherto 
we  have  had  to  strain  every  nerve  in  order  to  carry  on  the 
missions  of  our  own  country,  and  we  were  unable  to  take 
any  important  part  in  aiding  the  missions  abroad.  But 
we  must  beware  lest  our  local  burdens  should  make  our 
zeal  narrow  and  uncatholic.  There  are  hundreds  of  mil¬ 
lions  of  souls  in  heathen  lands  to  whom  the  light  of  the 
Gospel  has  not  yet  been  carried,  and  their  condition  ap¬ 
peals  to  the  charity  of  every  Christian  heart.  Among  our 
own  Indian  tribes,  for  whom  we  have  a  special  respon¬ 
sibility,  there  are  still  many  thousands  in  the  same  dark¬ 
ness  of  heathenism,  and  the  missions  among  our  thousands 
of  Catholic  Indians  must  equally  look  to  our  charity  for 
support.  Moreover,  out  of  the  six  millions  of  our  colored 
population  there  is  a  very  large  multitude,  who  stand  sorely 
in  need  of  Christian  instruction  and  missionary  labor;  and 
it  is  evident  that  in  the  poor  dioceses  in  which  they  are 
mostly  found,  it  is  most  difficult  to  bestow  on  them  the  care 
they  need,  without  the  generous  co-operation  of  our  Cath¬ 
olic  people  in  more  prosperous  localities.  We  have  there¬ 
fore  urged  the  establishment  of  the  Society  for  the  Propaga¬ 
tion  of  the  Faith  in  every  parish  in  which  it  is  not  yet 
erected,  and  also  ordered  a  collection  to  be  made  yearly  in 
all  the  dioceses,  for  the  foreign  missions  and  the  missions 
among  our  Indians  and  Negroes.  We  have  done  this 
through  a  deep  sense  of  duty,  and  we  trust  that  our  noble- 
hearted  people  will  not  regard  it  as  a  burden  imposed  on 
them,  but  as  an  opportunity  presented  to  them  of  co-operat¬ 
ing  in  a  work  which  must  be  specially  dear  to  the  Heart  of 
our  Divine  Saviour. 

These  are  the  leading  matters,  venerable  and  beloved 
brethren,  which  have  engaged  our  attention  during  this 
Council.  The  objects  of  our  deliberations  have  been  the 
same  that  have  occupied  the  energies  of  the  Church  and 


264  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

her  pastors  ever  since  the  days  of  the  Apostles, — namely, 
the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  building  up  the 
Body  of  Christ,  the  giving  greater  “glory  to  God  in  the  high¬ 
est,  and  peace  on  earth  to  men  of  good  will,”  by  shedding 
abroad  more  abundantly  the  blessings  of  religion,  and  the 
graces  of  redemption.  Our  legislation  is  not  intended  to 
impose  burdens  or  limitations  upon  you,  but,  on  the  con¬ 
trary,  to  enlarge  and  secure  to  you  “the  liberty  of  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  God.”  The  path  of  duty  and  virtue  is  clearly 
marked  and  pointed  out,  not  to  restrain  your  freedom,  but 
that  you  may  journey  safely,  that  you  may  live  wisely  and 
virtuously,  that  you  may  have  haippiness  temporal  and 
eternal. 

And  now  we  write  you  these  things,  that  you  may  be 
partners  in  our  solicitude,  that  every  heart  may  cry  out 
“Thy  Kingdom  come,”  that  every  hand  may  be  active  in 
establishing  and  extending  it.  Accept  with  willing  and 
loving  minds  these  lessons  which  spring  from  hearts  full 
of  love  for  you,  and  entirely  consecrated  to  your  service. 
Give  joy  to  us  and  to  our  Divine  Lord  by  putting  them  faith¬ 
fully  in  practice.  And  may  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God, 
the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  descend  upon  you 
abundantly,  and  abide  with  you  forever. 

Given  at  Baltimore ,  in  the  Plenary  Council ,  on  the  7th 
day  of  December ,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  188b. 

In  his  own  name  and  in  the  name  of  all  the  Fathers, 

■FJames  Gibbons, 

Archbishop  of  Baltimore  and  Apostolic  Delegate. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


DURING  the  next  thirty-five  years  (1884-1919)  the  legisla¬ 
tion  of  the  Third  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore  was  found 
sufficient  for  the  guidance  and  direction  of  priests  and  people 
of  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States.  More  than  once, 
however,  in  that  period  the  peace  and  unity  of  the  Church 
were  threatened  by  divergent  views  on  important  matters  of 
ecclesiastical  polity  and  of  discipline.  The  School  Controversy 
in  the  early  ’nineties  found  some  of  our  prelates  with  serious 
misgivings  on  the  problem  of  freedom  in  education.  The 
papal  rescript  of  January  22,  1899,  on  “Americanism”  was  the 
last  word  in  a  controversy  which  had  become  international. 
The  creation  of  the  Apostolic  Delegation  at  Washington  in  1892 
brought  the  American  hierarchy  into  closer  relations  with  the 
Holy  See.  The  dominant  personality  of  Cardinal  Gibbons,  as 
a  great  churchman  and  a  great  citizen  of  the  Republic,  helped 
powerfully  to  bridge  over  the  seriousness  of  the  crisis  in  1893, 
when  another  anti-Catholic  movement  was  begun,  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Protective  Association.  The  entrance  of  the  United  States 
into  the  World  War  in  April,  1917,  found  the  archbishops  of 
the  country  assembled  in  their  Annual  Meeting  at  the  Catholic 
University  of  America.  Headed  by  His  Eminence  of  Baltimore, 
they  addressed  a  letter  to  President  Wilson,  reaffirming  in  that 
hour  of  stress  and  trial  their  most  sacred  and  sincere  loyalty 
and  patriotism  towards  our  country,  our  government  and  our 
flag.  “Our  peoples,”  they  wrote,  “now  as  ever,  will  rise  as  one 
man  to  serve  the  nation.  Our  priests  and  consecrated  women 
will  once  again,  as  in  every  former  trial  of  our  country,  win 
by  their  bravery,  their  heroism  and  their  service  new  admira¬ 
tion  and  approval.”  An  annual  meeting  of  the  entire  hierarchy 
of  the  United  States  was  decided  upon,  and  in  September,  1919, 
the  first  notable  gathering  of  the  archbishops  and  bishops  was 
held  at  the  Catholic  University  of  America.  We  have  the  re¬ 
sult  of  this  meeting  in  the  Pastoral  Letter  of  September  26, 
1919. 

The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919  bears  on  its  pages  the  unmis¬ 
takable  signs  of  the  best  Catholic  scholarship  of  our  times,  It 


266  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

is  divided  into  fourteen  sections,  which  treat  in  order:  the 
progress  of  the  Church  during  the  years  which  had  intervened 
since  1884;  secular  conditions  surrounding  Catholic  life  in  the 
Republic;  Catholic  war  activities  and  the  lessons  of  the  war; 
the  post-war  situation  with  its  alarming  need  of  re-construc¬ 
tion  according  to  the  principles  of  Christianity;  the  obligation 
of  justice  and  of  charity;  the  social  relations  arising  from  the 
sacredness  of  the  marriage  tie;  the  evils  of  divorce;  the  influence 
of  women;  industrial  relations  between  capital  and  labour;  the 
right  of  labour  to  a  living  wage  and  the  problem  of  labour 
unions;  national  conditions  requiring  prudent  adjustment,  and 
the  value  of  the  press  for  the  removal  of  evil  in  political  affairs; 
our  international  relations;  education  in  general  and  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  a  sound  educational  system;  with  a  closing  appeal  in 
the  Name  of  Christ,  the  Master,  to  all  citizens  of  the  Republic, 
Catholic  and  non-Catholic,  to  look  beyond  the  horizons  of  life 
to  the  higher  destiny  God  has  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  the  Archbishops  and  Bishops 

of  the  United  States 

The  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  the  United  States  in  Con¬ 
ference  assembled,  to  their  Clergy  and  faithful  people — 
Grace  unto  you  and  peace  from  God  our  Father ,  and 
from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Venerable  Brethren  of  the 
Clergy,  Beloved  Children  of  the  Laity: 

f  I'HIRTY-FIVE  years  have  elapsed  since  the  Fathers  of 
*  the  Third  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore  addressed  their 
Pastoral  Letter  to  the  faithful  of  their  charge.  In  it  they 
expressed  their  deliberate  thought  upon  the  state  of  religion 
at  the  time,  upon  its  needs  and  its  abundant  resources.  Sur¬ 
veying  the  growth  of  the  Church  during  a  century,  they  saw 
with  thankfulness  the  evident  design  of  God  in  behalf  of 
our  country;  and  turning  to  the  future,  they  beheld  the 
promise  of  a  still  more  fruitful  development.  With  wise 
enactment  and  admonition  they  imparted  new  vigor  to  our 
Catholic  life.  With  a  foresight  which  we  can  now  ap¬ 
preciate,  they  prepared  the  Church  in  America  to  meet, 
on  the  solid  ground  of  faith  and  discipline,  the  changing 
conditions  of  our  earthly  existence.  As  Pope  Leo  XIII  of 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


267 


happy  memory  declared:  “the  event  has  proven,  and  still 
does  prove,  that  the  decrees  of  Baltimore  were  wholesome 
and  timely.  Experience  has  demonstrated  their  value  for 
the  maintenance  of  discipline,  for  stimulating  the  intelli¬ 
gence  and  zeal  of  the  clergy,  for  protecting  and  developing 
the  Catholic  education  of  youth.”1 

The  framers  of  that  legislation  were  men  of  power, 
shewing  forth  in  their  wisdom  the  dignity  of  prophets  and 
instructing  the  people  with  holy  words.  They  are  gone, 
nearly  all,  to  their  rest  and  reward;  but  their  godly  deeds 
have  not  failed.  They  have  left  us  a  sacred  inheritance; 
their  labors  are  held  in  remembrance  and  their  names  in 
benediction  forever. 

Following  the  example  of  our  predecessors,  and  like 
them  trusting  in  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  lately 
took  counsel  together  for  the  welfare  of  the  Church  and 
of  our  country.  The  whole  Hierarchy  of  the  United  States 
assembled  in  Washington,  to  consider  the  problems,  the 
needs  and  the  possibilities  for  good  which  invite  us  to  new 
undertakings.  In  the  record  of  the  last  three  decades,  we 
found  much  to  console  and  inspire  us.  We  also  knew  well 
that  you  with  whom  and  for  whom  we  have  labored,  would 
rejoice  in  considering  how  abundantly  God  has  blessed  our 
endeavors.  And  we  therefore  determined,  for  His  glory 
and  for  your  comfort,  to  point  out  the  significant  phases  in 
our  progress,  and  to  set  forth  the  truths  which  contain  the 
solution  of  the  world’s  great  problems. 

This  course  we  adopted  the  more  hopefully  because  of 
the  approval  and  encouragement  given  us  by  our  Holy 
Father,  Pope  Benedict  XV,  in  the  Letter  which  he  sent  us 
last  April.  Knowing  how  deeply  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  is 
concerned  for  the  restoration  of  all  things  in  Christ,  and 
how  confidently  he  looks  at  this  time  to  the  Church  in 
America,  we  felt  that  by  uniting  our  thought  and  our  effort 
we  should  cooperate,  in  the  measure  of  our  opportunity, 
toward  his  beneficent  purpose.  In  his  name,  and  in  our 
own,  we  greet  you,  dear  brethren,  as  children  of  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church  and  as  citizens  of  the  Bepublic  on  whose 
preservation  the  future  of  humanity  so  largely  depends. 

i  Encyc.  Longinqua  oceani  spatia,  Jan.  6,  1895. 


268  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

We  exhort  you,  as  of  one  mind  and  heart,  to  ponder  well 
the  significance  of  recent  events,  so  that  each  of  you,  as 
circumstance  requires,  may  rightly  fulfil  his  share  of  our 
common  obligation. 

First  of  all,  it  is  our  bounden  duty  to  offer  up  praise  and 
thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God  who  in  His  gracious  Prov¬ 
idence,  has  restored  the  nations  to  peace.  He  has  shown 
us  His  mercy,  and  the  light  of  His  countenance  is  shining 
upon  us,  that  we  may  know  His  way  upon  earth,  which  is 
the  way  of  salvation  for  all  the  peoples.  Now  that  the 
storm  is  subsiding,  we  can  see  the  true  meaning  of  its 
causes.  We  can  review  more  calmly  the  changes  and 
movement  which  brought  it  about;  and  we  can  dis¬ 
cern  more  surely  their  import  for  our  various  human  in¬ 
terests. 

I.  Progress  of  the  Church 

In  the  spiritual  order,  there  has  been  a  steady  advance. 
The  issue  between  truth  and  error  with  regard  to  all  that 
religion  implies,  is  now  quite  clearly  drawn.  As  human 
devices,  intended  to  replace  the  Gospel,  have  gradually 
broken  down,  Christianity,  by  contrast,  appears  distinct 
and  firm  in  its  true  position.  The  Church  indeed  has 
suffered  because  it  would  not  sanction  the  vagaries  of 
thought  and  policy  which  were  leading  the  world  to  dis¬ 
aster.  v  And  yet  the  very  opposition  which  it  encountered, 
an  opposition  which  would  have  destroyed  the  work  of 
man,  has  given  the  Church  occasion  for  new  manifestations 
of  life.  With  larger  freedom  from  external  interference, 
it  has  developed  more  fully  the  power  from  on  high  with 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  endued  it.  Far  from  being  weakened 
by  the  failure  of  outward  support,  its  activity  is  seen  as  the 
expression  of  its  inner  vitality.  Its  vigor  is  shown  in  its 
ready  adaptation  to  the  varying  conditions  of  the  world,  an 
adaptation  which  means  no  supine  yielding  and  no  sur¬ 
render  of  principle,  but  rather  the  exertion  of  power  in 
supplying  as  they  arise,  the  needs  of  humanity.  Because  it 
maintains  inviolate  the  deposit  of  Christian  faith  and  the 
law  of  Christian  morality,  the  Church  can  profit  by  every 
item  of  truth  and  every  means  for  the  betterment  of  man 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


269 


which  genuine  progress  affords.  It  thrives  wherever  free¬ 
dom  really  lives,  and  it  furnishes  the  only  basis  on  which 
freedom  can  be  secure. 

The  inner  vitality  of  the  Church  has  been  shown  and 
enhanced  by  the  action  of  the  Holy  See  in  giving  fresh 
impetus  to  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the 
faithful;  in  stimulating  philosophical,  Action  of 
historical  and  biblical  studies;  in  creating  the  Holy  See. 
institutions  of  learning;  in  revising  the 
forms  of  liturgical  prayer;  in  quickening  devotion,  and  in 
reducing  to  a  compact  body  of  law  the  manifold  enactments 
of  canonical  legislation.  At  the  same  time,  the  Sovereign 
Pontiffs  have  promoted  the  welfare  of  all  mankind  by  in¬ 
sisting  on  the  principles  which  should  govern  our  social, 
industrial  and  political  relations;  by  deepening  respect  for 
civil  authority;  by  enjoining  upon  Catholics  everywhere 
the  duty  of  allegiance  to  the  State  and  the  discharge  of 
patriotic  obligation.  They  have  condemned  the  errors 
which  planned  to  betray  humanity  and  to  undermine  our 
civilization.  Again  and  again,  the  charity  of  Christ  con¬ 
straining  them,  they  have  sought  out  the  peoples  which  sat 
in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death;  and  they  have  urged 
all  Christians  who  are  yet  “as  children  tossed  to  and  fro 
and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,”  to  enter 
the  haven  of  the  Church  and  anchor  upon  the  confession 
of  “one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism.”2 

From  these  salutary  measures  the  Church  in  America 
has  derived  in  full  its  share  of  benefit.  But  it  has  also  re¬ 
ceived,  to  its  great  advantage,  especial 
marks  of  pontifical  favor.  To  Pope  Leo  The  Holy  See 
XIII  we  are  indebted  for  the  establishment  and  the 
of  the  Apostolic  Delegation,  whereby  we  Church 
are  brought  into  closer  union  with  the  in  America. 
Holy  See.  The  presence  in  our  midst  of 
the  representative  of  the  Holy  Father  has  invigorated  our 
ecclesiastical  life,  and  facilitated  to  a  marked  degree  the 
administration  of  our  spiritual  affairs,  in  keeping  with  our 
rapid  development. 

Though  its  organization  had  extended  to  every  part  of 


2  Eph.  Iv.  14,  5. 


270  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

the  United  States,  the  Church,  until  1908,  was  still  on  a 
missionary  basis,  as  it  had  been  from  the  beginning.  By 
the  action  of  Pope  Pius  X,  it  was  advanced  to  full  canonical 
status  and  ranked  with  the  older  Churches  of  Europe.  It  now 
observes  the  same  laws  and  enjoys  the  same  relations  with 
the  Apostolic  See. 

From  the  beginning  of  his  pontificate,  Pope  Benedict  XV, 
though  burdened  with  sorrow  and  trial,  has  given  his  chil¬ 
dren  in  America  continual  proof  of  his  fatherly  care.  He 
has  guided  us  with  his  counsel,  encouraged  us  with  his 
approbation,  and  rejoiced  in  our  prosperity.  Recognizing 
the  importance  of  America  for  the  world’s  restoration,  he 
sees  from  his  exalted  position  the  broader  range  of  oppor¬ 
tunity  which  now  is  given  the  Church  in  our  country.  By 
word,  and  yet  more  by  example,  he  shows  how  effectually 
the  Catholic  spirit  can  renew  the  face  of  the  earth. 

It  is  a  source  of  happiness  for  us  that  the  Catholics  of 
America  have  appreciated  the  evidences  of  paternal  affec¬ 
tion  bestowed  on  them  by  the  Vicar  of 
Needs  of  Christ.  For  we  can  truly  say  that  no  people 
the  Holy  See.  is  more  loyal  to  the  Holy  See,  none  more 

diligent  in  providing  for  its  needs.  Our 
assistance  at  the  present  time  will  give  the  Holy  Father 
special  consolation,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  faithful  in  so 
many  countries  are  no  longer  able  to  share  with  him  their 
scanty  means.  It  is  to  the  Pope,  on  the  contrary,  that  they 
in  their  destitution,  are  looking  for  aid.  And  it  is  in  their 
behalf  that  he  has  more  than  once  appealed.  Touching, 
indeed,  are  the  words  with  which  he  implores  all  Christians 
throughout  the  world,  and  “all  who  have  a  sense  of  human¬ 
ity,”  for  the  love  of  the  Infant  Saviour,  to  help  him  in  rescu¬ 
ing  from  hunger  and  death  the  children  of  Europe.  In  the 
same  Encyclical  Letter,3  he  commends  most  highly  the  Bis¬ 
hops  and  the  faithful  of  the  United  States  for  their  prompt 
and  generous  response  of  his  earlier  appeal,  and  he  offers 
their  action  as  an  example  to  all  other  Catholics.  Let  us 
continue  to  deserve  his  approval.  It  is  sufficient  for  us  to 
know  that  the  Holy  Father,  with  numberless  demands  upon 
him,  is  in  need. 

3  Paterno  iam  diu,  Nov.  24,  1919. 


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271 


The  Church 
in  Our 
Country. 


The  growth  of  the  Church  in  America  was  fittingly 
brought  to  view  at  the  celebration,  in  1889,  of  the  first 
centenary  of  the  Hierarchy.  Within  a 
hundred  years,  the  number  of  dioceses 
had  risen  from  one  to  seventy-five.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  last  three  decades,  the  same  rate  of 
progress  has  been  maintained,  with  the 
result  that  at  present  one-sixth  of  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  in  a  hundred 
flourishing  dioceses. 

But  what  we  regard  as  far  more  important  is  the  growth 
and  manifestation  of  an  active  religious  spirit  in  every 
diocese  and  parish.  “We  are  bound  to  give  thanks  always 
to  God  for  you,  brethren,  as  it  is  fitting,  because  your  faith 
groweth  exceedingly,  and  the  charity  of  every  one  of  you 
toward  each  other  aboundeth.”  4  You  have  not  contented 
yourselves  with  bearing  the  Catholic  name  or  professing 
your  faith  in  words:  you  have  shown  your  faith  by  your 
works:  by  the  performance  of  your  religious  duties,  by 
obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  Church  and  by  cooperation  in 
furthering  the  kingdom  of  God.  For  thus  “the  whole  body, 
being  compacted  and  fitly  joined  together,  by  what  every 
joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  operation  in  the  measure 
of  every  part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edifying 
of  itself  in  charity.” 5 

With  you,  dear  brethren  of  the  clergy,  we  rejoice  in  the 
fruits  of  your  zeal,  your  loyalty  and  your  concern  for  the 
welfare  of  the  souls  entrusted  to  your  care.  You  have  learned 
by  a  happy  experience  how  much  can  be  accomplished 
through  your  daily  ministration,  your  immediate  contact 
with  the  people,  your  words  of  advice  and  instruction, 
above  all,  through  your  priestly  example.  To  you  we  gladly 
attribute  the  provision  of  the  material  means  which  are 
needed  for  the  worship  of  God  and  for  the  countless  forms 
of  charity.  You  “have  loved  the  beauty  of  His  house  and 
the  place  where  His  glory  dwelleth.”6  What  is  yet  more 
essential,  you  have  builded  in  the  souls  of  your  people,  and 
especially  in  the  little  ones  of  Christ,  the  temple  of  the 
living  God.  In  the  work  of  our  Catholic  schools,  you  have 


4  Thess.  i.  3. 


5  Eph.  iv.  16. 


o  Ps.  xxv.  8. 


272  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

both  the  honor  and  the  responsibility  of  laying  the  first 
foundation.  We  know  that  you  have  laid  it  with  care,  and 
that  the  whole  structure  of  Catholic  education  is  securely 
based  upon  Jesus  Christ,  the  chief  corner-stone:  “in  whom 
all  the  building  being  fitted  together,  groweth  up  into  an 
holy  temple  in  the  Lord.  ...  an  habitation  of  God  in  the 
Spirit.” 7 

You,  likewise,  beloved  children  of  the  laity,  we  heartily 
commend  for  your  willingness,  your  correspondence  with 
the  intent  of  your  pastors,  your  support  so  cheerfully  given 
to  the  cause  of  religion.  When  we  consider  that  every 
church  and  school,  every  convent,  asylum  and  hospital  rep¬ 
resents  the  voluntary  offering  brought  by  you,  out  of  your 
plenty  and  more  often  out  of  your  want,  we  cannot  but 
marvel  and  glorify  God  who  has  made  you  “worthy  of  His 
vocation  and  fulfilled  in  you  all  the  good  pleasure  of  His 
goodness  and  the  work  of  faith  in  power.”8  For  as  faith  is 
expressed  in  deeds;  so,  conversely,  is  it  strengthened  by  do¬ 
ing:  “by  works  faith  is  made  perfect.”9  And  since  the  bond 
of  perfection  is  charity,  we  look  upon  your  generosity  both 
as  an  evidence  of  your  good  will  toward  the  whole  of  God’s 
Church  and  as  a  token  of  His  heavenly  favor.  “Wherefore, 
brethren,  labor  the  more  that  by  good  works  you  may  make 
sure  your  calling  and  election.”10 

We  would  have  you  bear  always  in  mind  that  your  faith 
is  your  most  precious  possession  and  the  foundation  of  your 

spiritual  life,  since  “without  faith,  it  is  im¬ 
possible  to  please  God.”11  Without  faith, 
Faith.  the  outward  forms  of  worship  avail  us 
nothing,  the  sacraments  are  beyond  our 
reach,  the  whole  plan  and  effect  of  redemption  is  made 
void.  It  behooves  us,  then,  to  guard  with  jealous  care  the 
treasure  of  faith  by  thankfulness  to  God  for  so  great  a  gift 
and  by  loyalty  to  “the  Church  of  the  living  God,  the  pillar 
and  ground  of  the  truth.”12  The  fact  that  unbelief  is  so 
common,  that  firm  and  definite  teaching  of  Christian  truth 
is  so  often  replaced  by  vague  uncertain  statements,  and  that 
even  these  are  left  to  individual  preference  for  acceptance 


7  Eph.  ii.  21,  22. 

io2  Peter  I.  10. 


8  2  Thess.  i.  11. 
ii  Heb.  xi.  6. 


9  James  il.  22. 
12  1  Tim.  ill.  15. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


273 


or  rejection — the  fact,  in  a  word,  that  by  many  faith  is  no 
longer  regarded  as  of  vital  consequence  in  religion,  should 
the  more  determine  us  to  “watch,  stand  fast  in  the  faith,  do 
manfully  and  be  strengthened.” 13  While  we  must  needs 
look  with  sorrow  upon  the  decay  of  positive  belief,  let  us 
recognize,  with  gratitude,  the  wisdom  of  Him  who,  being 
the  “author  and  finisher  of  our  faith,”  established  in  His 
Church  a  living  authority  to  “teach  all  nations,  teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded 
you.”14  Let  us  also  consider  the  splendid  courage  with 
which  that  mission  has  been  accomplished  through  the 
centuries,  by  the  witness  of  martyrs,  the  constancy  of  faith¬ 
ful  peoples,  the  zeal  of  preachers  and  pastors,  the  firmness 
of  Pontiffs  who,  amid  the  storms  of  error  and  the  assaults 
of  worldly  power,  stood  fast  in  the  faith  upon  the  assurance 
given  them  by  Christ:  “the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  pre¬ 
vail.”  15 

The  Catholic  who  appreciates  the  blessing  of  faith  and 
the  sacrifices  which  generous  men  and  women  in  all  ages 
have  made  to  preserve  it,  will  take  heed  to  himself  and  be¬ 
ware  of  the  things  whereby  some  “have  made  shipwreck 
concerning  the  faith.”10  For  this  disaster  is  usually  the  end 
and  culmination  of  other  evils,  of  sinful  habits,  of  neglect  of 
prayer  and  the  sacraments,  of  cowardice  in  the  face  of 
hostility  to  one’s  belief,  of  weakness  in  yielding  to  the 
wishes  of  kindred  or  friends,  of  social  ambition  and  the 
hope  of  advantage  in  busines  or  public  career.  More  subtle 
are  the  dangers  arising  from  an  atmosphere  in  which  un¬ 
belief  is  mingled  with  culture  and  gentle  refinement,  or  in 
which  the  fallacy  spreads  that  faith  is  hopelessly  at  variance 
with  scientific  truth.  To  counteract  these  influences,  it  is 
necessary  that  they  who  love  the  truth  of  Christ,  should 
“the  more  and  more  abound  in  knowledge  and  in  all  under¬ 
standing.”17  As  they  advance  in  years,  they  should  lay 
firmer  hold  upon  the  teachings  of  religion  and  be  prepared 
to  explain  and  defend  it.  They  will  thus  “continue  in  faith, 
grounded  and  settled  and  immovable  from  the  hope  of  the 
Gospel,” 18  ready  always  to  give  “a  reason  of  that  hope  that 


13  1  Cor.  xvi.  13. 
16  1  Tim.  i.  19. 


14  Matt,  xxviii.  20. 
it  Phil.  i.  9. 


15  Matt.  xvi.  18. 
18  Coloss.  i.  23. 


274  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

is  in  them,” 19  and,  if  needs  be,  to  “contend  earnestly  for  the 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.”20 

To  the  Church  which  is  taught  all  truth  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  Christ  entrusted  the  whole  deposit  of  divine  revela¬ 
tion.  To  the  watchful  care  of  the  Church 
The  we  owe  the  preservation  of  that  Book  from 

Scriptures.  which  Christians  in  every  age  have  de¬ 
rived  instruction  and  strength.  How  need¬ 
ful  was  the  warning  of  the  Apostle  that  “no  prophecy  of 
Scripture  is  made  by  private  interpretation,” 21  appears  in 
the  history  of  those  movements  which  began  by  leaving 
each  individual  to  take  his  own  meaning  from  the  sacred 
text,  and  now,  after  four  centuries,  have  ended  in  rejecting 
its  divine  authority.  The  Church,  on  the  contrary,  with 
true  reverence  for  the  Bible  and  solicitude  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  its  readers,  has  guarded  both  it  and  them  against 
the  dangers  of  false  interpretation.  In  the  same  spirit,  dear 
brethren,  we  exhort  you  to  acquire  a  loving  familiarity 
with  the  written  word:  “for  what  things  soever  were  writ¬ 
ten,  were  written  for  our  learning;  that  through  patience 
and  the  comfort  of  the  Scriptures  we  might  have  hope.”22 
This  intimate  knowledge  of  Holy  Writ  will  bring  you  close 
to  the  person  and  life  of  our  Saviour  and  to  the  labors  of 
His  Apostles.  It  will  renew  in  your  hearts  the  joy  with 
which  the  first  Christians  received  the  tidings  of  salvation. 
And  it  will  deepen  in  you  the  conviction  that  the  Scriptures 
are  indeed  the  word  of  God,  “which  can  instruct  you  unto 
salvation  by  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus”  23 — a  con¬ 
viction  which  cannot  be  shaken  either  by  the  disputations 
of  the  learned  who  “stumble  at  the  word,”  or  by  the  errors 
of  the  unlearned  and  unstable  who  wrest  the  Scriptures 
“to  their  own  destruction.” 24 

The  knowledge  of  our  holy  religion  will  enkindle  in  you 
a  love  of  the  Church,  which  Christ  so  loved  that  He  gave 
Himself  for  it,  purchasing  it  with  His  blood.  It  is  the  Church 
not  of  one  race  or  of  one  nation,  but  of  all  those  who  truly 
believe  in  His  name.  The  more  you  dwell  upon  its  teach¬ 
ing,  its  practice  and  its  history,  the  stronger  will  be  your 

18  1  Peter  iii.  15.  20  Jude  3.  21  2  Peter  i.  20. 

22  Romans  xv.  4.  23  2  Tim.  iii.  15.  24  2  Peter  iii.  16. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


275 


sense  of  unity  with  the  multitude  of  believers  throughout 
the  world.  You  will  clearly  understand  that  the  true  inter¬ 
ests  of  each  part,  of  each  diocese  and  par¬ 
ish,  are  the  interests  of  the  Church  Uni-  The  Catholic 
versal.  “You  are  the  body  of  Christ  and  Spirit, 
members  of  member.  And  if  one  member 
suffer  anything,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it;  or,  if  one 
member  glory,  all  the  members  rejoice  with  it.” 25  This  is  the 
practical  meaning  of  Catholicity  and  its  saving  strength  as 
opposed  to  the  weakness  of  localism.  The  really  Catholic 
mind  is  careful  not  only  for  the  needs  which  affect  its  im¬ 
mediate  surroundings,  but  for  those  also  which  press  upon 
the  Church  in  less  prosperous  sections,  or  which,  in  far 
countries,  hinder  the  spread  of  religion.  Such  was  the  mind 
of  those  Christians  to  whom  St.  Paul  appealed  in  behalf  of 
their  distant  brethren:  “In  this  present  time,  let  your  abun¬ 
dance  supply  their  want;  that  their  abundance  also  may 
supply  your  want,  that  there  may  be  an  equality.” 26 

Your  Catholic  sense  will  also  enable  you  to  see  how  tireless 
the  Church  has  been  in  providing  both  for  the  souls  of  men 
and  for  their  temporal  needs:  how  much  of  what  is  best  in 
modern  civilization,  how  much  that  we  value  in  the  way  of 
liberty  and  law,  of  art  and  industry,  of  science,  education 
and  charity,  is  due  to  the  Catholic  spirit.  Like  its  Founder, 
the  Church  has  gone  about  the  world  doing  good  to  all  men; 
and  with  Him  the  Church  can  say:  “the  works  that  I  do  in 
the  name  of  my  Father,  they  give  testimony  of  me.  .  .  . 
though  you  will  not  believe  me,  believe  the  works.”  27  And 
this  ministry  of  love  the  Church  will  continue.  It  will 
adopt  all  agencies  and  means  that  may  render  its  service  of 
better  effect;  it  will  quicken  them  all  with  the  fervor  of 
charity  lest  they  harden  to  mechanical  form;  and  it  will 
take  utmost  care  that  they  be  employed  to  draw  men  nearer 
to  Christ. 

The  spirit  that  made  Vincent  de  Paul  a  Saint  and  a  hero 
of  charity,  lives  on  in  his  followers.  According  to  the  pat¬ 
tern  which  he  gave,  they  minister  to  those  who  are  in  any 
distress,  quietly  and  effectually.  Of  late  they  have  notably 
increased  their  power  for  good.  Through  the  Conference 

25  1  Cor.  xii.  26-27.  28  2  Cor.  viii.  14.  27  John  x.  25,  38. 


276  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

of  Catholic  Charities  a  “great  door  and  evident”  is  opened 
upon  a  wider  range  of  usefulness.  To  all  who  are  joined 
together  in  this  holy  undertaking  we  say  with  the  Apostle: 
“May  the  Lord  multiply  you  and  make  you  abound  in 
charity  one  toward  another  and  toward  all  men;  as  we  do 
toward  you.” 28 

Be  instant,  therefore,  dear  brethren,  in  helping  those 
who  suffer  or  want;  but  take  heed  also  to  your  own  spiritual 

life,  that  in  thought  and  purpose  and 
Prayer.  motive,  as  well  as  in  outward  deed,  you 
may  be  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God. 
From  the  teaching  of  the  Church  and  from  your  own  expe¬ 
rience,  you  know  that  without  the  divine  assistance  you 
cannot  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  Christ.  And  you  need  not 
be  reminded  that  the  principal  means  of  grace  are  prayer 
and  the  sacraments. 

Through  prayer  we  lift  up  our  hearts  to  God,  and  He  in 
turn  enlightens  our  minds,  kindles  pur  affections,  gives 
power  to  our  wills.  For  whether  we  adore  His  majesty  or 
praise  Him  for  His  wonderful  works,  whether  we  render 
Him  thanks  for  His  goodness,  or  beseech  Him  for  pardon, 
or  beg  Him  to  help  and  defend  us,  our  prayer  is  pleasing  to 
Him:  it  goes  up  as  incense  before  Him,  as  the  voice  of  His 
children  to  the  Father  who  loves  them,  who  pursues  them 
with  mercy  and  offers  them  speedy  forgiveness.  Where¬ 
fore,  in  joy  and  in  sorrow,  in  adversity  and  in  prosperity, 
“in  everything,  by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanksgiv¬ 
ing,  let  your  petitions  be  made  known  to  God.”2® 

We  are  certain  that  amid  the  trials  of  the  last  few  years, 
you  have  prayed  without  ceasing — for  those  who  had  gone 
from  you  to  the  post  of  duty  and  danger,  for  your  country, 
for  the  untold  millions  who  fell  in  the  struggle.  Many  of 
you  surely  have  found  that  it  is  “a  holy  and  wholesome 
thought  to  pray  for  the  dead  that  they  may  be  loosed  from 
sins.” 30  This  doctrine  and  practice,  so  fully  according  with 
the  impulse  of  human  affection,  appeals  to  us  now  with 
singular  force.  For  those  who  mourn,  it  is  a  source  of  com¬ 
fort;  for  all,  it  is  the  exercise  of  purest  charity.  And  no 
petition  could  be  more  pleasing  to  the  Father  of  mercies 

28  1  Thess.  ill.  43.  2»  Phil.  It.  6.  so  2  Mach.  xii.  4«. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


277 


than  that  which  implores  Him  to  grant  to  our  departed 
brethren  everlasting  rest  in  a  place  of  refreshment,  light  and 
peace.  The  remembrance  of  those  who  are  gone  before 
us  with  the  token  of  faith,  will  raise  up  our  hearts  above 
worldly  desires;  and  whereas  we  are  saddened  by  the  cer¬ 
tain  prospect  of  death,  yet  shall  we  be  comforted  with  the 
promise  of  immortal  life,  knowing  that  “if  our  earthly 
house  of  this  habitation  be  dissolved,  we  have  a  building 
of  God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  heaven.” 81 

We  heartily  commend  the  beautiful  practice  of  family 
prayer.  “Where  there  are  two  or  three  gathered  in  My 
name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them.” 32  If  this  is 
true  of  the  faithful  in  general,  it  applies  with  particular 
meaning  to  those  who  are  members  of  the  same  household. 
The  presence  of  Jesus  will  surely  be  a  source  of  blessing  to 
the  home  where  parents  and  children  unite  to  offer  up 
prayer  in  common.  The  spirit  of  piety  which  this  custom 
develops,  will  sanctify  the  bonds  of  family  love  and  ward 
off  the  dangers  which  so  often  bring  sorrow  and  shame. 
We  appeal  in  this  matter  with  special  earnestness  to  young 
fathers  and  mothers,  who  have  it  in  their  power  to  mould 
the  hearts  of  their  children  and  train  them  betimes  in  the 
habit  of  prayer. 

This  will  also  inspire  them  with  love  for  the  public 
services  of  the  Church  and,  above  all,  for  the  central  act  of 
Catholic  worship,  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass.  For  the  truly  Catholic  heart,  there  The  Sacrifice 
should  be  no  need  of  insisting  on  the  duty  and  the 
which  the  Church  enjoins  of  hearing  Mass  Sacraments, 
on  Sundays  and  festivals  of  obligation. 

We  have  only  to  stir  up  the  faith  that  is  in  us  and  con¬ 
sider  that  on  the  altar  is  offered  the  same  clean  oblation 
whereby  the  world  was  redeemed  on  the  Cross;  and  as 
today  no  Christian  can  stand  unmoved  on  Calvary,  or  pass 
with  indifference  along  the  road  which  Jesus  trod,  so  is  it 
inconceivable  that  any  who  believe  in  the  word  of  Christ 
and  His  Church,  should  allow  household  cares,  or  business 
pursuits,  or  the  love  of  pleasure  and  ease  to  keep  them 


3i  2  Cor.  v.  1. 


32  Matt,  xviii.  20. 


278  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

away  from  Mass.  Negligence  in  respect  to  this  duty  may 
often  result  from  lack  of  proper  instruction;  and  we  there¬ 
fore  desire  to  impress  upon  parents,  teachers  and  pastors 
the  importance  and  the  necessity  of  explaining  to  those  in 
their  charge,  the  origin,  nature  and  the  value  of  the  Holy 
Sacrifice,  the  meaning  of  the  sacred  rites  with  which  it  is 
offered,  and  the  order  of  the  liturgy  as  it  advances  from 
season  to  season.  There  is  so  much  beauty  in  the  worship 
of  the  Church,  so  much  power  to  fill  the  mind  with  great 
thoughts  and  lift  up  the  heart  to  heavenly  things,  that 
one  who  hears  Mass  with  intelligent  devotion  cannot  but 
feel  in  his  soul  an  impulse  to  holier  living.  Such  is  the 
experience  of  those  especially  who  begin  each  day  by  at¬ 
tending  at  Mass,  and  we  rejoice  to  know  that  their  number 
is  increasing.  They  will  grow  in  faith  and  fervor,  and  their 
piety  will  be  for  all  a  source  of  edification. 

It  is  likewise  consoling  to  see  in  our  time  a  revival  of 
the  spirit  which,  in  primitive  ages,  led  the  Christian  to 
receive  each  day  “the  Bread  that  came  down  from  heaven.” 
In  the  Holy  Eucharist,  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  for  men 
passes  all  understanding.  “He  that  eateth  My  flesh  and 
drinketh  My  blood,  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  him.”33  A  worthy 
communion  unites  us  with  our  Saviour,  and  even  trans¬ 
forms  our  spiritual  being,  so  that  we  may  say  with  the 
Apostle:  “I  live,  now  not  I;  but  Christ  liveth  in  me.”34  As 
by  His  continual  abiding  within  it,  the  Church  is  holy  and 
without  blemish,  so  does  the  presence  of  Christ  in  each 
soul  purify  it  even  as  He  is  pure,  and  give  it  power  to  do 
all  things  in  Him  who  strengthens  it. 

The  sense  of  our  unworthiness  may  incline  us  to  draw 
back  from  the  Holy  Table;  but,  as  St.  Paul  tells  us:  “Let  a 
man  prove  himself  and  so  let  him  eat  of  that  bread  and 
drink  of  the  chalice.”35  Only  sin  can  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  and  for  sin 
He  has  provided  a  remedy  in  the  sacrament  of  His  mercy. 
“If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us 
our  sins  and  cleanse  us  from  all  iniquity.” 36  Through  these 
two  sacraments,  the  one  given  for  the  healing  of  our  souls, 

38  John  vi.  57.  34  Gal.  ii.  20.  35  1  Cor.  xi.  28.  36  1  John  i.  9. 


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279 


the  other  for  their  nourishment,  we  are  established  in  the 
life  of  grace  and  are  “filled  unto  all  the  fullness  of  God.” 8T 

What  grace  can  accomplish  in  His  creatures,  God  has 
shown  in  the  person  of  her  whom  He  chose  to  be  His 
mother,  preserving  her  from  all  stain  and 
endowing  her  with  such  pureness  of  heart  Mary 
that  she  is  truly  “full  of  grace”  and  the  Mother 
“blessed  among  women.”  The  unique  of  Christ, 
privilege  of  Mary  as  cooperating  in  the 
Incarnation,  entitles  her  to  reverence  and  honor;  but  in  the 
Catholic  mind  it  is  love  that  prompts  veneration  for  the 
Mother  of  Christ.  It  is  indeed  beyond  comprehension  that 
any  who  sincerely  love  Jesus,  should  be  cold  or  indifferent 
in  regard  to  His  mother.  No  honor  that  we  may  pay  her 
can  ever  equal  that  which  God  himself  has  conferred,  and 
much  less  can  it  detract  from  the  honor  that  is  due  to  Him. 

In  keeping  with  her  singular  dignity  is  the  power  of 
Mary’s  intercession.  If  the  prayers  of  holy  men  avail  to 
obtain  the  divine  assistance,  the  petitions  of  Mary  in  our 
behalf  must  be  far  more  efficacious.  With  good  reason, 
then,  does  the  Church  encourage  the  faithful  to  cultivate 
a  tender  devotion  for  the  Blessed  Virgin.  But  if  all  gen¬ 
erations  should  call  her  blessed,  and  if  the  peoples  of  earth 
should  glory  in  her  protection,  we  in  the  United  States  have 
a  particular  duty  to  honor  Mary  Immaculate  as  the  heavenly 
Patroness  of  our  country.  Let  her  blessed  influence  pre¬ 
serve  our  Catholic  homes  from  all  contagion  of 'evil,  and 
keep  our  children  in  pureness  of  heart.  Let  us  also  pay 
her  the  tribute  of  public  honor  in  a  way  that  will  lead  all 
our  people  to  a  fuller  appreciation  of  Mary,  the  perfect 
woman  and  the  surpassing  model  of  motherhood.  As  Pope 
Benedict  has  declared,  it  is  eminently  fitting  that  the  de¬ 
votion  of  American  Catholics  to  the  Mother  of  God  should 
find  expression  in  a  temple  worthy  of  our  Celestial  Pa¬ 
troness.  May  the  day  soon  dawn  when  we  shall  rejoice  at 
the  completion  of  so  grand  an  undertaking;  for,  as  the  Holy 
Father  says  in  commending  the  project  of  the  National 
Shrine  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  “our  human  society 
has  reached  that  stage  in  which  it  stands  in  most  urgent 

sr  Eph.  111.  19. 


280  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

need  of  the  aid  of  Mary  Immaculate,  no  less  than  of  the 
joint  endeavors  of  all  mankind.” 38 

The  nursery  of  Christian  life  is  the  Catholic  home;  its 
stronghold,  the  Catholic  school.  “In  the  great  coming  com¬ 
bat  between  truth  and  error,  between 
Catholic  Faith  and  Agnosticism,  an  important  part 

Education.  of  the  fray  must  be  borne  by  the  laity. 

.  .  .  And  if,  in  the  olden  days  of  vassalage 
and  serfdom,  the  Church  honored  every  individual,  no 
matter  how  humble  his  position,  and  labored  to  give  him 
the  enlightenment  that  would  qualify  him  for  higher  re- 
sponsiblities,  much  more  now,  in  the  era  of  popular  rights 
and  liberties,  when  every  individual  is  an  active  and  in¬ 
fluential  factor  in  the  body  politic,  does  she  desire  that  all 
should  be  fitted  by  suitable  training  for  an  intelligent  and 
conscientious  discharge  of  the  important  duties  that  may 
devolve  upon  them.” 

The  timely  warning  contained  in  these  words  from  the 
Pastoral  Letter  of  1884,  shows  how  clearly  our  predecessors 
discerned  the  need,  both  present  and  future,  of  Christian 
education.  Their  forecast  has  been  verified.  The  combat 
which  they  predicted  has  swept  around  all  the  sources  of 
thought,  and  has  centered  upon  the  school.  There,  espe¬ 
cially,  the  interests  of  morality  and  religion  are  at  stake; 
and  there,  more  than  anywhere  else,  the  future  of  the  na¬ 
tion  is  determined.  For  that  reason,  we  give  most  hearty 
thanks  to  the  Father  of  Lights  who  has  blessed  our  Cath¬ 
olic  schools  and  made  them  to  prosper.  We  invoke  His 
benediction  upon  the  men  and  women  who  have 
consecrated  their  lives  to  the  service  of  Christian  education. 
They  are  wholesome  examples  of  the  self-forgetfulness 
which  is  necessary  in  time  of  peace  no  less  than  in  crisis 
and  danger.  Through  their  singleness  of  purpose  and  their 
sacrifice,  the  Church  expresses  the  truth  that  education  is 
indeed  a  holy  work,  not  merely  a  service  to  the  individual 
and  society,  but  a  furtherance  of  God’s  design  for  man’s 
salvation.  With  them  we  realize  more  fully  than  ever  be¬ 
fore,  the  necessity  of  adhering  to  the  principles  on  which 
our  schools  are  established.  If  our  present  situation  is  beset 

38  Letter  to  the  Hierarchy,  April  10,  1919. 


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281 


with  new  problems,  it  is  also  rich  in  opportunity;  and  we 
are  confident  that  our  teachers  will  exert  themselves  to  the 
utmost  in  perfecting  their  work.  Their  united  counsel  in 
the  Catholic  Educational  Association  has  already  produced 
many  excellent  results,  and  it  justifies  the  hope  that  our 
schools  may  be  organized  into  a  system  that  will  combine 
the  utilities  of  free  initiative  with  the  power  of  unified 
action.  With  a  common  purpose  so  great  and  so  holy  to 
guide  them,  and  with  a  growing  sense  of  solidarity,  our 
educators  will  recognize  the  advantage  which  concerted 
effort  implies  both  for  the  Catholic  system  as  a  whole  and 
for  each  of  the  allied  institutions. 

We  deem  it  necessary  at  this  time  to  emphasize  the 
value  for  our  people  of  higher  education,  and  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  providing  and  receiving  it  under  Catholic  auspices. 
“Would  that  even  now,  as  we  trust  will  surely  come  to  pass 
in  the  future,  the  work  of  education  were  so  ordered  and 
established  that  Catholic  youth  might  proceed  from  our 
Catholic  elementary  schools  to  Catholic  schools  of  higher 
grade  and  in  these  attain  the  object  of  their  desires.” 89 
This  wish  and  ideal  of  our  predecessors,  in  a  gratifying 
measure,  has  been  realized  through  the  establishment  of 
Catholic  high  schools  and  the  development  of  our  Catholic 
colleges.  These  have  more  than  doubled  in  number;  they 
have  enlarged  their  facilities  and  adjusted  their  courses  to 
modern  requirements.  We  congratulate  their  directors  and 
teachers,  and  with  them  we  see  in  the  present  condition  of 
their  institutions,  the  possibility  and  the  promise  of  further 
achievement  in  accordance  with  their  own  aspirations. 

In  educational  progress,  the  teacher’s  qualification  is 
the  vital  element.  This  is  manifestly  true  of  the  Catholic 
school,  in  which  the  teacher’s  personality  contributes  so 
much  toward  the  building  of  character  and  the  preservation 
of  faith  along  with  the  pupil’s  instruction  in  knowledge.  If, 
therefore,  the  aim  of  our  system  is  to  have  Catholic  youth 
receive  their  education  in  its  completeness  from  Catholic 
sources,  it  is  equally  important,  and  even  more  urgently 
necessary,  that  our  teachers  should  be  trained  under  those 
influences  and  by  those  agencies  which  place  the  Catholic 

ae  Third  Plenary  Council :  Acts  and  Decrees,  208. 


282  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

religion  at  the  heart  of  instruction,  as  the  vitalizing  prin¬ 
ciple  of  all  knowledge  and,  in  particular,  of  educational 
theory  and  practice.  We  note  with  satisfaction  that  our 
teachers  are  eager  for  such  training,  and  that  measures 
have  been  taken  to  provide  it  through  institutes,  summer 
schools  and  collegiate  courses  under  university  direction. 
We  are  convinced  that  this  movement  will  invigorate  our 
education  and  encourage  our  people,  since  the  work  of 
teachers  who  are  thoroughly  prepared  is  the  best  recom¬ 
mendation  of  the  school. 

We  cannot  too  highly  approve  the  zeal  and  liberality  of 
those  who,  with  large  amount  or  small,  have  aided  us  in 
building  up  our  schools.  For  what  we  value  as  significant 
in  their  action  is  not  alone  the  material  help  which  it  ren¬ 
ders,  essential  as  this  has  become;  but  rather  and  chiefly 
the  evidence  which  it  affords  of  their  spiritual  sense  and 
perception.  It  shows  that  they  appreciate  both  the  necessity 
of  Catholic  education  and  the  unselfish  devotion  of  our 
teachers.  At  a  time,  especially,  when  vast  fortunes  are  so 
freely  lavished  upon  education  in  other  lines,  it  is  edifying 
to  see  our  people  either  dedicating  their  individual  wealth 
to  the  cause  of  religious  instruction  or,  as  members  of 
Catholic  associations,  combining  their  means  for  the  same 
noble  purpose.  They,  assuredly,  have  given  an  object  les¬ 
son,  teaching  all  by  their  example,  “to  do  good,  to  be  rich 
in  good  works,  to  give  easily,  to  communicate  to  others,  to 
lay  up  in  store  for  themselves  a  good  foundation  against  the 
time  to  come,  that  they  may  lay  hold  on  the  true  life.”40 

It  was  the  progress  of  our  academies,  colleges  and  sem¬ 
inaries,  from  colonial  days  onward,  that  made  the  Univer¬ 
sity  possible;  and  it  was  the  demand, 

t 

The  Catholic  created  by  them,  for  larger  opportunities 

University.  that  made  it  a  necessity.  Established,  at 

the  instance  of  the  Bishops,  by  Pope  Leo 
XIII,  it  represents  the  joint  action  of  the  Holy  See  and  of 
the  American  Hierarchy  in  behalf  of  higher  education. 
Like  the  first  universities  of  Europe,  it  was  designed  to  be 
the  home  of  all  the  sciences  and  the  common  base  of  all  our 
educational  forces.  This  twofold  purpose  has  guided  its 


*0  1  Tim.  vi.  18-19. 


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283 


development.  As  in  the  Ages  of  Faith  and  Enlightenment, 
the  various  Religious  Orders  gathered  at  the  centers  of 
learning  which  the  Holy  See  had  established,  so  in  our  own 
day,  the  Orders  have  grouped  their  houses  of  study  about 
the  University,  in  accordance  with  the  express  desire  of  its 
Founders.  “We  exhort  you  all,”  said  the  Pontiff,  “to  affiliate 
your  seminaries,  colleges  and  other  Catholic  institutions  of 
learning  with  your  University  on  the  terms  which  its  statutes 
suggest.” 41  As  the  process  of  affiliation  is  extended  to  our 
high  schools,  it  benefits  them  and  also  provides  a  better  class 
of  students  for  our  colleges.  In  keeping,  then,  with  the 
aims  of  its  Founders,  the  University  exists  for  the  good  and 
the  service  of  all  our  schools.  Through  them  and  through 
their  teachers,  it  returns  with  interest  the  generous  support 
of  our  clergy  and  laity. 

“By  no  means  surprising  or  unexpected,”  said  Pope 
Pius  X,  “is  the  steady  and  vigorous  growth  of  the  Catholic 
University  which,  located  at  Washington,  the  Capital  City 
of  the  American  Republic,  built  up  by  the  offerings  of  the 
Catholic  people  and  invested  by  the  Apostolic  See  with  full 
academic  authority,  is  now  become  the  fruitful  parent  of 
knowledge  in  all  the  sciences  both  human  and  divine.  .  .  . 
We  are  fully  determined  on  developing  the  Catholic  Uni¬ 
versity.  For  we  clearly  understand  how  much  a  Catholic 
university  of  high  repute  and  influence  can  do  toward 
spreading  and  upholding  Catholic  doctrine  and  furthering 
the  cause  of  civilization.  To  protect  it,  therefore,  and  to 
quicken  its  growth,  is,  in  Our  judgment,  equivalent  to 
rendering  most  valuable  service  to  religion  and  to  country 
alike.” 42 

To  the  same  intent,  Pope  Benedict  XV  writes:  “We  have 
followed  with  joy  its  marvellous  progress  so  closely  related 
to  the  highest  hope  of  your  Churches  .  .  .  well  knowing 
that  you  have  all  hitherto  contributed  in  no  small  measure 
to  the  development  of  this  seat  of  higher  studies,  both 
ecclesiastical  and  secular.  Nor  have  we  any  doubt  but  that 
henceforth  you  will  continue  even  more  actively  to  support 


4i  Apostolic  Letter,  Magni  Nobis  gaudii,  March  7,  1889. 
42  Letter  to  the  Cardinal  Chancellor,  Jan.  5,  1912. 


284  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

an  institution  of  such  great  usefulness  and  promise  as  is 
the  University.” 43 

It  is  our  earnest  desire  that  the  University  should  attain 
fully  the  scope  of  its  Founders,  and  thereby  become  an 
educational  center  worthy  of  the  Church  in  America, 
worthy  also  of  the  zeal  which  our  clergy  and  laity  have 
shown  in  behalf  of  education.  Its  progress  and  prosperity 
will  make  it,  as  the  Holy  Father  trusts,  “the  attractive  center 
about  which  all  will  gather  who  love  the  teachings  of  our 
Catholic  Faith.” 

Considering  the  great  good  accomplished  by  our  Cath¬ 
olic  societies,  the  Fathers  of  the  Third  Plenary  Council 

expressed  the  desire  “to  see  their  number 
Catholic  multiplied  and  their  organization  per- 

Societies.  fected.”  That  desire  has  been  fulfilled. 

The  rapid  development  of  our  country 
provides  ample  occasion,  even  under  normal  conditions, 
for  those  activities  which  attain  success  through  organiza¬ 
tion.  Continually,  new  problems  appear  and  opportunities 
arise  to  spread  the  Faith,  to  foster  piety,  to  counteract  tend¬ 
encies  which  bode  evil,  either  openly  or  under  attractive 
disguise.  In  response  to  these  demands,  our  Catholic  as¬ 
sociations  have  increased  their  usefulness  by  selecting  spe¬ 
cial  lines  of  activity,  and  by  following  these  out  wherever 
the  cause  of  religion  was  in  need  or  in  peril.  Through  the 
hearty  cooperation  of  clergy  and  laity,  these  agencies  have 
wrought  “good  to  all  men,  especially  to  those  who  are  of  the 
household  of  the  faith.”44  They  have  enlisted  our  Catholic 
youth  in  the  interests  of  faith  and  charity,  provided  in  num¬ 
berless  ways  for  the  helpless  and  poor,  shielded  the  weak 
against  temptation,  spread  sound  ideas  of  social  and  in¬ 
dustrial  reform  and  furthered  the  public  welfare  by  their 
patriotic  spirit  and  action.  We  rejoice  in  the  fruits  of  their 
fellowship,  and  we  desire  of  them  that  they  strive  together 
for  the  highest  and  best,  “considering  one  another  to  pro¬ 
voke  unto  charity  and  to  good  works.” 45 

The  tendency  on  the  part  of  our  societies  to  coalesce  in 
larger  organizations,  is  encouraging.  It  arises  from  their 
consciousness  of  the  Catholic  purpose  for  which  each  and 

43  Letter  to  the  Hierarchy,  April  10,  1919.  44  Gal.  vi.  10.  46  Heb.  x.  24. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


285 


all  are  striving;  and  it  holds  out  the  promise  of  better  re¬ 
sults,  both  for  the  attainment  of  their  several  objects  and 
for  the  promotion  of  their  common  cause,  the  welfare  of  the 
Church.  The  aim  which  inspired  the  Federation  of  our 
Catholic  Societies,  and  which  more  recently  has  led  to  the 
Federation  of  Catholic  Alumnae,  is  worthy  of  the  highest 
commendation.  It  manifests  a  truly  Catholic  spirit,  and  it 
suggests  wider  possibilities  for  good  which  a  more  thorough 
organization  will  enable  us  to  realize. 

We  regard  as  specially  useful  the  work  of  associations 
like  the  Church  Extension  Society  and  the  Missionary  Un¬ 
ions,  in  securing  the  blessings  of  religion  and  the  means 
of  worship  for  those  who  suffer  from  poverty  or  isolation. 
The  sections  of  our  country  in  which  Catholics  are  few, 
offer,  no  less  than  the  populous  centers,  a  field  for  zealous 
activity;  and  we  heartily  encourage  all  projects  for  assist¬ 
ing  those  who,  in  spite  of  adverse  circumstances,  have  pre¬ 
served  the  faith,  for  reclaiming  many  others  who  have  lost 
it,  and  for  bringing  to  our  non-Catholic  brethren  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  our  holy  religion. 

As  we  thus  survey  the  progress  of  the  Church  in  our 
country  and  throughout  the  world,  we  cannot  but  think 
of  the  greater  good  which  might  result  if 
men  of  worthy  disposition  were  all  united  Home 
in  faith.  For  we  gladly  recognize  the  up-  Missions, 
right  will  and  generosity  of  many  who  are 
not  yet  “come  to  the  city  of  the  living  God”  and  “to  the 
Church  of  the  first-born.” 46  We  know  that  among  them 
are  men  of  judgment,  who  with  spiritual  insight  are  looking 
to  the  Catholic  Church  for  the  sure  way  of  salvation;  and 
that  not  a  few,  with  exceptional  talent  for  historical  re¬ 
search,  have  set  forth  in  their  scholarly  writings  the  un¬ 
broken  succession  of  the  Church  of  Rome  from  the  Apostles, 
the  integrity  of  its  doctrine  and  the  steadfast  power  of  its 
discipline.  To  all  such  earnest  inquirers  we  repeat  the  in¬ 
vitation  given  them  by  Pope  Leo  XIII:  “Let  our  fervent 
desire  toward  you,  even  more  than  our  words,  prevail.  To 
you  we  appeal,  our  brethren  who  for  over  three  centuries 
have  differed  from  us  regarding  our  Christian  faith;  and 


4«  HeJb.  xli.  22. 


286  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

to  all  of  you  likewise  who  in  later  times,  for  any  reason 
whatsoever,  have  turned  away  from  us.  Let  us  all  ‘meet 
together  in  the  unity  of  faith  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Son  of  God.’47  Suffer  that  we  invite  you  to  the  unity  which 
always  has  existed  in  the  Catholic  Church  and  which  never 
can  fail.  Lovingly  we  stretch  forth  our  hands  to  you;  the 
Church,  our  mother  and  yours,  calls  upon  you  to  return; 
the  Catholics  of  the  whole  world  await  you  with  brotherly 
longing,  that  you  together  with  us  may  worship  God  in 
holiness,  with  hearts  united  in  perfect  charity  by  the  pro¬ 
fession  of  one  Gospel,  one  faith  and  one  hope.”48 

We  give  thanks  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  His  mercy 
upon  so  many  who  were  scattered  abroad  and  in  distress 
even  as  sheep  that  have  no  shepherd.  Year  by  year,  ‘‘the 
multitude  of  men  and  women  who  believe  in  the  Lord  is 
more  increased.” 49  But  though  conversions  are  numerous, 
much  remains  to  be  done.  ‘‘Other  sheep  I  have  that  are  not 
of  this  fold:  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my 
voice,  and  there  shall  be  one  fold  and  one  shepherd.”  50 

Pray  fervently,  therefore,  that  light  may  be  given  to 
those  who  yet  are  seeking  the  way,  that  they  may  under¬ 
stand  the  nature  of  that  union  and  concord  so  clearly  set 
forth  by  Christ  himself,  when  He  prayed  to  the  Father,  not 
only  for  His  Apostles,  ‘‘but  for  them  also  who  through  their 
word  shall  believe  in  me:  that  they  all  may  be  one,  as  thou, 
Father,  in  me  and  I  in  thee;  that  they  also  may  be  one  in 
us,  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me.”  51 
Now  Christ  and  the  Father  are  one,  not  by  any  outward 
bond  of  the  least  possible  agreement  but  by  perfect  identity 
in  all  things. 

In  our  own  country  there  are  fields  of  missionary  labor 
that  call  in  a  special  manner  for  assiduous  cultivation. 

There  are  races  less  fortunate  in  a  worldly 

Negro  and  sense  and,  for  that  very  reason,  more  fully 

Indian  dependent  on  Christian  zeal.  The  lot  of 

Missions.  the  Negro  and  Indian,  though  latterly 
much  improved,  is  far  from  being  what  the 
Church  would  desire.  Both  have  been  hampered  by  ad- 

47  Eph.  iv.  13.  4*  Apostolic  Letter,  Prteclara  gratulationis,  June  20,  1894. 

40  Acts  v.  14.  50  John  x.  16.  51  John  xvii.  20,  21. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


287 


verse  conditions,  yet  both  are  responsive  to  religious  min¬ 
istration.  In  the  eyes  of  the  Church  there  is  no  distinction 
of  race  or  of  nation;  there  are  human  souls,  and  these  have 
all  alike  been  purchased  at  the  same  great  price,  the  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

This  is  the  truth  that  inspires  our  Catholic  missionaries 
and  enables  them  to  make  such  constant  efforts  in  behalf 
of  those  needy  races.  We  commend  their  work  to  the  faith¬ 
ful  in  every  part  of  our  country.  In  the  name  of  justice 
and  charity,  we  deprecate  most  earnestly  all  attempts  at 
stirring  up  racial  hatred;  for  this,  while  it  hinders  the  prog¬ 
ress  of  all  our  people,  and  especially  of  the  Negro,  in  the 
sphere  of  temporal  welfare,  places  serious  obstacles  to  the 
advance  of  religion  among  them.  We  concur  in  the  belief 
that  education  is  the  practical  means  of  bettering  their  con¬ 
dition;  and  we  emphasize  the  need  of  combining  moral  and 
religious  training  with  the  instruction  that  is  given  them  in 
other  branches  of  knowledge.  Let  them  learn  from  the 
example  and  word  of  their  teachers  the  lesson  of  Christian 
virtue:  it  will  help  them  more  effectually  than  any  skill 
in  the  arts  of  industry,  to  solve  their  problems  and  to  take 
their  part  in  furthering  the  general  good. 

“The  mission  which  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  on  the  eve 
of  His  return  to  the  Father,  entrusted  to  His  disciples,  bid¬ 
ding  them  ‘go  into  the  whole  world  and 
Foreign  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature’52 — 
Missions.  that  office  most  high  and  most  holy — was 
certainly  not  to  end  with  the  life  of  the 
Apostles:  it  was  to  be  continued  by  their  successors  even 
to  the  consummation  of  the  world,  as  long,  namely,  as  there 
should  live  upon  earth  men  to  be  freed  by  the  truth.” 53 

These  words  of  the  Holy  Father,  addressed,  with  his 
characteristic  love  of  souls,  to  all  the  Bishops  of  the  Church, 
have  for  us  in  America  a  peculiar  force  and  significance. 
The  care  of  our  Catholic  population,  which  is  constantly 
increased  by  the  influx  of  immigrants  from  other  countries, 
hitherto  has  fully  occupied  the  energies  of  our  clergy  and  of 
our  missionary  organizations.  Until  quite  recently,  the 
Church  in  the  United  States  was  regarded  as  a  missionary 

52  Mark  xyl.  15.  53  Apostolic  Letter,  Maximum  illud,  Nov.  30,  1919. 


288  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

field.  As  such  it  has  drawn  upon  Europe  for  recruits  to  the 
priesthood  and  the  religious  Orders,  and  for  financial  as¬ 
sistance,  which  it  owes  so  largely  to  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Faith. 

The  time  now  has  come  to  show  our  grateful  apprecia¬ 
tion:  “freely  have  you  received,  freely  give.”54  Wherever 
we  turn  in  this  whole  land,  the  memory  of  the  pioneers  of 
our  Faith  confronts  us.  Let  it  not  appeal  in  vain.  Let  it 
not  be  said,  to  our  reproach,  that  American  commerce  has 
outstripped  American  Catholic  zeal,  or  that  others  have 
entered  in  to  reap  where  Catholic  hands  had  planted,  per¬ 
chance  where  Catholic  blood  had  watered  the  soil. 

“Lift  up  your  eyes,  and  see  the  countries,  for  they  are 
white  already  to  harvest.”  55  Consider  the  nations  that  lie 
to  the  south  of  our  own,  and  in  them  the  manifold  needs  of 
religion.  Look  to  the  farther  East  where  of  old  a  Francis 
Xavier  spread  the  light  of  the  Gospel.  Think  of  the  peoples 
in  Asia,  so  long  estranged  from  the  Faith  which  their  fore¬ 
fathers  received  from  the  Apostles.  In  some  of  these  lands, 
entire  populations  grow  up  and  pass  away  without  hearing 
the  name  of  Christ.  In  others,  the  seed  of  God’s  word  has 
been  planted  and  there  is  promise  of  vigorous  growth;  but 
there  is  none  to  gather  the  fruit.  “The  harvest  indeed  is 
great,  but  the  laborers  are  few.”56 

“Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  He  send 
forth  laborers  into  his  harvest.”57  This,  as  the  Holy  Father 
reminds  us,  is  our  first  obligation  in  regard  to  the  missions. 
However  eager  the  missionaries,  they  will  labor  in  vain, 
unless  God  give  the  increase.  This  is  also  the  appropriate 
object  of  the  Apostleship  of  Prayer,  whose  members,  to  our 
great  joy,  are  steadily  becoming  more  numerous.  Let  all 
the  faithful  associate  themselves  with  it  and  thus  contrib¬ 
ute,  by  their  prayers  at  least,  to  the  success  of  the  missions. 

In  the  next  place,  measures  must  be  taken  to  increase 
the  supply  of  laborers.  They  were  few  before  the  war;  and 
now  they  are  fewer.  Unite  with  us,  therefore,  in  praying 
that  the  special  grace  and  vocation  which  this  holy  enter¬ 
prise  demands,  may  be  granted  more  abundantly.  We 
gladly  encourage  young  men  who  feel  in  their  souls  the 

54  Matt.  x.  8.  55  John  iv.  35.  56  Matt.  lx.  37.  57  Ibid.  38. 


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289 


prompting  and  desire  for  the  missionary  career.  And  we 
bless  with  cordial  approval  the  efforts  of  those  who,  in  our 
colleges  and  seminaries,  develop  this  apostolic  spirit  and 
train  up  workers  for  the  distant  parts  of  the  vineyard. 

We  appeal,  finally,  to  the  generosity  of  the  faithful  in 
behalf  of  the  devoted  men  who  already  are  bearing  the 
heat  of  the  day  and  the  burden.  They  have  given  all.  Let 
us  help  them  at  least  to  overcome  the  difficulties  which  the 
War  has  occasioned,  and  to  develop  the  work  which  they 
are  doing,  with  inadequate  means,  in  their  schools,  orphan¬ 
ages  and  other  institutions.  So  shall  we  have  some  part  in 
their  labors,  and  likewise  in  their  reward.  For  “he  that 
reapeth  received  wages,  and  gathereth  fruit  unto  life  ever¬ 
lasting;  that  both  he  that  soweth  and  he  that  reapeth,  may 
rejoice  together.” 58 

As  the  departments  of  Catholic  activity  multiply,  and 
as  each  expands  to  meet  an  urgent  need,  the  problem  of 
securing  competent  leaders  and  workers 
becomes  day  by  day  more  serious.  The  Vocations, 
success  of  a  religious  enterprise  depends 
to  some  extent  upon  the  natural  ability  and  character  of 
those  who  have  it  in  charge.  But  if  it  be  truly  the  work  of 
God,  it  must  be  carried  on  by  those  whom  He  selects.  To 
His  Apostles  the  Master  said:  “You  have  not  chosen  me: 
but  I  have  chosen  you,  and  have  appointed  you,  that  you 
should  go  and  should  bring  forth  fruit;  and  your  fruit 
should  remain.” 59  Of  the  priesthood  St.  Paul  declares: 
“Neither  doth  any  man  take  the  honor  to  himself,  but  he 
that  is  called  of  God.”60  The  same  applies,  in  due  pro¬ 
portion,  to  all  who  would  enter  the  Master’s  service  in  any 
form  of  the  religious  state.  And  since  our  educational, 
charitable  and  missionary  undertakings  are  for  the  most 
part  conducted  by  the  Priest,  the  Brother  and  the  Sister,  the 
number  of  vocations  must  increase  to  supply  the  larger 
demand. 

God,  assuredly,  in  His  unfailing  providence,  has  marked 
for  the  grace  of  vocation  those  who  are  to  serve  Him  as  His 
chosen  instruments.  It  lies  with  us  to  recognize  these  ves¬ 
sels  of  election  and  to  set  them  apart,  that  they  may  be  duly 


68  John  lv.  36. 


59  John  xv.  16. 


60  Heb.  v.  4. 


290  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

fashioned  and  tempered  for  the  uses  of  their  calling.  To 
this  end,  we  charge  all  those  who  have  the  care  of  souls  to 
note  the  signs  of  vocation,  to  encourage  young  men  and 
women  who  manifest  the  requisite  dispositions,  and  to 
guide  them  with  prudent  advice.  Let  parents  esteem  it  a 
privilege  surpassing  all  worldly  advantage,  that  God  should 
call  their  sons  or  daughters  to  His  service.  Let  teachers 
also  rememher  that,  after  the  home,  the  school  is  the  garden 
in  which  vocations  are  fostered.  To  discern  them  in  time, 
to  hedge  them  about  with  careful  direction,  to  strengthen 
and  protect  them  against  worldly  allurement,  should  be  our 
constant  aim. 

In  our  concern  and  desire  for  the  increase  of  vocations, 
we  are  greatly  encouraged  as  we  reflect  upon  the  blessings 
which  the  Church  has  enjoyed  in  this  respect.  The  gen¬ 
erosity  of  so  many  parents,  the  sacrifices  which  they  will¬ 
ingly  make  that  their  children  may  follow  the  calling  of 
God,  and  the  support  so  freely  given  to  institutions  for  the 
training  of  priests  and  religious,  are  edifying  and  consoling. 
For  such  proofs  of  zeal,  we  return  most  hearty  thanks  to 
Him  who  is  pleased  to  accept  from  His  faithful  servants  the 
offering  of  the  gifts  which  He  bestows. 

The  training  of  those  who  are  called  to  the  priesthood, 
is  at  once  a  privilege  and  a  grave  responsibility.  This  hol¬ 
iest  of  all  educational  duties  we  entrust  to  the  directors 
and  teachers  of  our  seminaries.  Because  they  perform  it 
faithfully,  we  look  with  confidence  to  the  future,  in  the 
assurance  that  our  clergy  will  be  fully  prepared  for  the 
tasks  which  await  them.  “That  the  man  of  God  may  be 
perfect,  furnished  to  every  good  work”61  is  the  end  for 
which  the  seminary  exists.  The  model  which  it  holds  up  is 
no  other  than  Jesus  Christ.  Its  course  of  instruction  begins 
with  St.  Paul’s  exhortation:  “holy  brethren,  partakers  of 
the  heavenly  vocation,  consider  the  apostle  and  high  priest 
of  our  confession,  Jesus;”62  and  it  ends  with  the  promise: 
“thou  shalt  be  a  good  minister  of  Christ  Jesus,  nourished 
up  in  the  words  of  faith  and  of  the  good  doctrine  which 
thou  hast  attained  unto.”63 

The  functions  of  the  Catholic  Press  are  of  special  value 

61  2  Tim.  111.  17.  62  Heb.  lii.  1.  os  l  Tim.  iv.  0. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


291 


to  the  Church  in  our  country.  To  widen  the  interest  of  our 
people  by  acquainting  them  with  the  prog¬ 
ress  of  religion  throughout  the  world,  to  The  Catholic 
correct  false  or  misleading  statements  re-  Press, 
garding  our  belief  and  practice,  and,  as 
occasion  offers,  to  present  our  doctrine  in  popular  form — 
these  are  among  the  excellent  aims  of  Catholic  journalism. 
As  a  means  of  forming  sound  public  opinion  it  is  indispen¬ 
sable.  The  vital  issues  affecting  the  nation’s  welfare  usually 
turn  upon  moral  principles.  Sooner  or  later,  discussion 
brings  forward  the  question  of  right  and  wrong.  The 
treatment  of  such  subjects  from  the  Catholic  point  of  view, 
is  helpful  to  all  our  people.  It  enables  them  to  look  at 
current  events  and  problems  in  the  light  of  the  experience 
which  the  Church  has  gathered  through  centuries,  and  it 
points  the  surest  way  to  a  solution  that  will  advance  our 
common  interests. 

The  unselfish  zeal  displayed  by  Catholic  journalists  en¬ 
titles  them  to  a  more  active  support  than  hitherto  has  been 
given.  By  its  very  nature  the  scope  of  their  work  is  spe¬ 
cialized;  and,  within  the  limitations  thus  imposed,  they  are 
doing  what  no  other  agency  could  accomplish  or  attempt, 
in  behalf  of  our  homes,  societies  and  schools. 

In  order  to  obtain  the  larger  results  and  the  wider  ap¬ 
preciation  which  their  efforts  deserve  and  which  we  most 
earnestly  desire,  steps  must  be  taken  to  coordinate  the  va¬ 
rious  lines  of  publicity  and  secure  for  each  a  higher  de¬ 
gree  of  usefulness.  Each  will  then  offer  to  those  who  are 
properly  trained,  a  better  opportunity  for  service  in  this 
important  field. 

At  all  times  helpful  to  the  cause  of  religion,  a  distinc¬ 
tively  Catholic  literature  is  the  more  urgently  needed  now 
that,  owing  to  the  development  of  scholarship  in  our  coun¬ 
try  and  the  progress  of  education,  there  has  grown  up  a 
taste  for  reading  and,  among  many  of  our  people,  a  desire 
for  accurate  knowledge  of  the  Church.  In  recent  times,  and 
notably  during  the  past  three  decades,  there  has  been  a 
gratifying  increase  in  the  number  of  Catholic  authors, 
and  their  activity  has  been  prolific  of.  good  results.  By  the 
simple  process  of  telling  the  truth  about  our  faith  and  its 


292  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

practice,  they  have  removed,  to  a  considerable  extent,  those 
prejudices  and  erroneous  views  which  so  often  hinder  even 
fairminded  thinkers  from  understanding  our  position.  As 
so  much  had  been  accomplished  by  individual  writers  in 
this  and  other  countries,  it  was  wisely  thought  that  even 
greater  benefit  would  accrue  from  their  cooperation.  The 
realization  of  this  idea  in  the  Catholic  Encyclopedia  has 
given  us  a  monumental  work,  and  opened  to  all  inquirers  a 
storehouse  of  information  regarding  the  Church,  its  history, 
constitution  and  doctrine.  It  has  furthermore  shown  the 
value  and  power  for  good  of  united  effort  in  behalf  of  a 
high  common  purpose;  and  we  therefore  trust  that  while 
serving  as  a  means  of  instruction  to  our  clergy  and  people, 
it  will  give  inspiration  to  other  endeavors  with  similar  aim 
and  effect,  in  every  field  of  Catholic  action. 

The  progress  of  the  Church  which  we  have  reviewed, 

has  been  no  easy  achievement.  There  have 

The  Obvious  been  trials  and  difficulties;  and  as  Christ 
Outcome.  predicted,  there  have  been  frequent  at¬ 
tempts  to  hamper  the  Church  just  where 
and  when  it  was  doing  the  greatest  good  for  our  common 
humanity. 

In  the  net  result,  however,  the  Church  has  been  strength¬ 
ened,  to  its  own  profit  and  to  that  of  the  world  at  large.  In 
an  age  that  is  given  to  material  pursuits,  it  upholds  the 
ideals  of  the  spiritual  life.  To  minds  that  see  only  intellec¬ 
tual  values,  it  teaches  the  lesson  of  moral  obligation.  Amid 
widespread  social  confusion,  it  presents  in  concrete  form 
the  principle  of  authority  as  the  basis  of  social  order.  And 
it  appears  as  the  visible  embodiment  of  faith  and  hope  and 
charity,  at  the  very  time  when  the  need  of  these  is  inten¬ 
sified  by  conditions  in  the  temporal  order. 

II.  Secular  Conditions 

The  temporal  order,  in  the  last  thirty-five  years,  has 
undergone  radical  changes.  It  has  been  affected  by  move¬ 
ments  which,  though  checked  for  a  time  or  reversed,  have 
steadily  gathered  momentum.  Their  direction  and  goal  are 
no  longer  matters  of  surmise  or  suspicion.  Their  outcome  is 
plainly  before  us. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


293 


During  the  first  three  decades  of  this  period,  the  ad¬ 
vance  of  civilization  was  more  rapid  and  more  general  than 
in  any  earlier  period  of  equal  length.  The  sound  of  prog¬ 
ress,  echoing  beyond  its  traditional  limits,  aroused  all  the 
nations  to  a  sense  of  their  possibilities,  and  stirred  each  with 
an  ambition  to  win  its  share  in  the  forward  movement  of 
the  world.  At  the  same  time,  the  idea  of  a  human  weal  for 
whose  promotion  all  should  strive  and  by  whose  attain¬ 
ment  all  should  profit,  seemed  to  be  gaining  universal  ac¬ 
ceptance.  If  rivalry  here  and  there  gave  occasion  for  fric¬ 
tion  or  conflict,  it  was  treated  as  incidental;  the  general 
desire  for  harmony,  apparently,  was  nearing  fulfilment. 

Toward  this  end  the  highest  tendencies  in  the  secular 
order  were  steadily  converging.  A  wider  diffusion  of  knowl¬ 
edge  provided  the  basis  for  a  mutual  understanding  of 
rights  and  obligations.  Science,  while  attaining  more  com¬ 
pletely  to  the  mastery  of  nature,  placed  itself  more  effec¬ 
tually  at  the  service  of  man.  Through  its  practical  applica¬ 
tions,  it  hastened  material  progress,  facilitated  the  inter¬ 
course  of  nation  with  nation,  and  thus  lowered  the  natural 
barriers  of  distance  and  time.  But  it  also  made  possible  a 
fuller  exchange  of  ideas,  and  thereby  revealed  to  the  vari¬ 
ous  peoples  of  earth  that  in  respect  of  need,  aspiration 
and  purpose,  they  had  more  in  common  than  generally  was 
supposed.  It  helped  them  to  see  that  however  they  differed 
in  race,  tradition  and  language,  in  national  temper  and 
political  organization,  they  were  humanly  one  in  the  de¬ 
mand  for  freedom  with  equal  right  and  opportunity. 

As  this  consciousness  developed  in  mankind  at  large, 
the  example  of  our  own  country  grew  in  meaning  and  in¬ 
fluence.  For  a  century  and  more,  it  had  taught  the  world 
that  men  could  live  and  prosper  under  free  institutions. 
During  the  period  in  question,  it  has  continued  to  receive 
the  multitudes  who  came  not,  as  in  the  early  days,  from  a 
few  countries  only,  but  from  every  foreign  land,  to  enjoy 
the  blessings  of  liberty  and  to  better  their  worldly  condi¬ 
tion.  In  making  them  its  own,  America  has  shown  a  power 
of  assimilation  that  is  without  precedent  in  the  temporal 
order.  With  their  aid  it  has  undertaken  and  achieved  in¬ 
dustrial  tasks  on  a  scale  unknown  to  former  generations. 


294  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

The  wealth  thus  produced  has  been  used  in  generous  meas¬ 
ure  to  build  up  institutions  of  public  utility.  Education,  in 
particular,  has  flourished;  its  importance  has  been  more 
fully  recognized,  its  problems  more  widely  discussed,  the 
means  of  giving  and  obtaining  it  more  freely  supplied. 
While  its  aim  has  been  to  raise  the  intellectual  level  and 
thereby  enhance  the  worth  of  the  individual,  experience 
has  shown  the  advantage  of  organized  effort  for  the  accom¬ 
plishment  of  any  purpose  in  which  the  people  as  a  whole, 
or  any  considerable  portion,  has  an  interest.  Hence  the 
remarkable  development  of  associations  which,  though  in¬ 
vested  with  no  authority,  have  become  powerful  enough  to 
shape  public  opinion  and  even  to  affect  the  making  of  laws. 
If,  in  some  instances,  the  power  of  association  has  been  di¬ 
rected  toward  ends  that  were  at  variance  with  the  general 
good  and  by  methods  which  created  disturbance,  there  has 
been,  on  the  whole,  a  willingness  to  respect  authority  and  to 
abide  by  its  decisions. 

Thus,  as  it  appeared,  the  whole  trend  of  human  affairs 
was  securing  the  world  in  peace.  The  idea  of  war  was 
farthest  from  the  minds  of  the  peoples.  The  possibility  of 
war  had  ceased  to  be  a  subject  for  serious  discussion.  To 
adjust  their  disputes,  the  nations  had  set  up  a  tribunal. 
The  volume  of  seeming  prosperity  swelled. 

III.  Catholic  War  Activities 

Once  it  had  been  decided  that  our  country  should  enter 
the  War,  no  words  of  exhortation  were  needed  to  arouse 
the  Catholic  spirit.  This  had  been  shown  in  every  national 
crisis.  It  had  stirred  to  eloquent  expression  the  Fathers  of 
the  Third  Plenary  Council. 

“We  consider  the  establishment  of  our  country’s  inde¬ 
pendence,  the  shaping  of  its  liberties  and  laws,  as  a  work 
of  special  Providence,  its  framers  ‘building  better  than  they 
knew,’  the  Almighty’s  hand  guiding  them.  .  .  .  We  believe 
that  our  country’s  heroes  were  the  instruments  of  the  God 
of  nations  in  establishing  this  home  of  freedom;  to  both 
the  Almighty  and  to  His  instruments  in  the  work  we  look 
with  grateful  reverence;  and  to  maintain  the  inheritance  of 
freedom  which  they  have  left  us,  should  it  ever — which  God 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


295 


forbid — be  imperilled,  our  Catholic  citizens  will  be  found 
to  stand  forward  as  one  man,  ready  to  pledge  anew  ‘their 
lives,  their  fortunes  and  their  sacred  honor.’  ” 

The  prediction  has  been  fulfilled.  The  traditional 
patriotism  of  our  Catholic  people  has  been  amply  demon¬ 
strated  in  the  day  of  their  country’s  trial.  And  we  look  with 
pride  upon  the  record  which  proves,  as  no  mere  protesta¬ 
tion  could  prove,  the  devotion  of  American  Catholics  to  the 
cause  of  American  freedom. 

To  safeguard  the  moral  and  physical  welfare  of  our 
Catholic  soldiers  and  sailors,  organized  action  was  needed. 
The  excellent  work  already  accomplished  by  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  pointed  the  way  to  further  undertaking.  The 
unselfish  patriotism  with  which  our  various  societies  com¬ 
bined  their  forces  in  the  Catholic  Young  Men’s  Association, 
the  enthusiasm  manifested  by  the  organizations  of  Catholic 
women,  and  the  eagerness  of  our  clergy  to  support  the  cause 
of  the  nation,  made  it  imperative  to  unify  the  energies  of 
the  whole  Catholic  body  and  direct  them  toward  the  Amer¬ 
ican  purpose.  With  this  end  in  view,  the  National  Catholic 
War  Council  was  formed  by  the  Hierarchy.  Through  the 
Committee  on  Special  War  Activities  and  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  Committee  on  War  Activities,  the  efforts  of  our 
people  in  various  lines  were  coordinated  and  rendered 
more  effective,  both  in  providing  for  the  spiritual  needs  of 
all  Catholics  under  arms  and  in  winning  our  country’s  suc¬ 
cess.  This  unified  action  was  worthy  of  the  Catholic  name. 
It  was  in  keeping  with  the  pledge  which  the  Hierarchy 
had  given  our  Government:  “Our  people,  now  as  ever, 
will  rise  as  one  man  to  serve  the  nation.  Our  priests  and 
consecrated  women  will  once  again,  as  in  every  former  trial 
of  our  country,  win  by  their  bravery,  their  heroism  and 
their  service  new  admiration  and  approval.” 64 

To  our  Chaplains  especially  we  give  the  credit  that  is 
their  due  for  the  faithful  performance  of  their  obligations. 
In  the  midst  of  danger  and  difficulty,  under  the  new  and 
trying  circumstances  which  war  inevitably  brings,  they 
acted  as  priests. 

The  account  of  our  men  in  the  Service  adds  a  new  page 

64  Letter  to  the  President,  April  18,  1917. 


296  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

to  the  record  of  Catholic  loyalty.  It  is  what  we  expected 
and  what  they  took  for  granted.  But  it  has  a  significance 
that  will  be  fairly  appreciated  when  normal  conditions  re¬ 
turn.  To  many  assertions  it  answers  with  one  plain  fact. 

IV.  The  National  Catholic  Welfare  Council 

In  view  of  the  results  obtained  through  the  merging  of 
our  activities  for  the  time  and  purpose  of  war,  we  deter¬ 
mined  to  maintain,  for  the  ends  of  peace,  the  spirit  of  union 
and  the  coordination  of  our  forces.  We  have  accordingly 
grouped  together,  under  the  National  Catholic  Welfare 
Council,  the  various  agencies  by  which  the  cause  of  religion 
is  furthered.  Each  of  these,  continuing  its  own  special 
work  in  its  chosen  field,  will  now  derive  additional  support 
through  general  cooperation.  And  all  will  be  brought  into 
closer  contact  with  the  Hierarchy,  which  bears  the  burden 
alike  of  authority  and  of  responsibility  for  the  interests  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  Council  and,  immediately, 
of  the  Administrative  Committee,  several  Departments 
have  been  established,  each  with  a  specific  function,  as 
follows : 

The  Department  of  Education,  to  study  the  problems 
and  conditions  which  affect  the  work  and  development  of 
our  Catholic  schools; 

The  Department  of  Social  Welfare,  to  coordinate  those 
activities  which  aim  at  improving  social  conditions  in  ac¬ 
cordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  Church; 

The  Department  of  Press  and  Literature,  to  systematize 
the  work  of  publication; 

The  Department  of  Societies  and  Lay  Activities,  to  se¬ 
cure  a  more  thoroughly  unified  action  among  our  Catholic 
organizations. 

For  the  development  and  guidance  of  missionary  activ¬ 
ity,  provision  has  been  made  through  The  American  Board 
of  Catholic  Missions,  which  will  have  in  charge  both  the 
Home  and  the  Foreign  Missions. 

The  organization  of  these  Departments  is  now  in  prog¬ 
ress.  To  complete  it,  time  and  earnest  cooperation  will  be 
required.  The  task  assigned  to  each  is  so  laborious  and  yet 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


297 


so  promising  of  results,  that  we  may  surely  expect,  with 
the  Divine  assistance  and  the  loyal  support  of  our  clergy 
and  people,  to  promite  more  effectually  the  glory  of  God, 
the  interests  of  His  Church,  and  the  welfare  of  our  country. 

V.  Lessons  of  the  War 

In  order  that  our  undertakings  may  be  wisely  selected 
and  prudently  carried  on,  we  should  consider  seriously  the 
lessons  of  the  War,  the  nature  of  our  present  situation  and 
the  principles  which  must  guide  the  adjustment  of  all  our 
relations. 

Our  estimate  of  the  War  begins,  naturally,  with  the 
obvious  facts:  with  the  number  of  peoples  involved,  the 
vastness  and  effectiveness  of  their  armaments,  the  outlay  in 
treasure  and  toil,  the  destruction  of  life  and  the  consequent 
desolation  which  still  lies  heavy  on  the  nations  of  Europe. 
Besides  these  visible  aspects,  we  know  somewhat  of  the 
spiritual  suffering — of  the  sorrow  and  hopelessness  which 
have  stricken  the  souls  of  men.  And  deeper  than  these, 
beyond  our  power  of  estimation,  is  the  moral  evil,  the 
wrong  whose  magnitude  only  the  Searcher  of  hearts  can 
determine. 

For  we  may  not  forget  that  in  all  this  strife  of  the  peo¬ 
ples,  in  the  loosening  of  passion  and  the  seeking  of  hate, 
sin  abounded.  Not  the  rights  of  man  alone  but  the  law  of 
God  was  openly  disregarded.  And  if  we  come  before  Him 
now  in  thankfulness,  we  must  come  with  contrite  hearts,  in 
all  humility  beseeching  Him  that  He  continue  His  mercies 
toward  us,  and  enable  us  so  to  order  our  human  relations 
that  we  may  atone  for  our  past  transgressions  and 
strengthen  the  bond  of  peace  with  a  deeper  charity  for  our 
fellowmen  and  purer  devotion  to  His  service. 

We  owe  it  to  His  goodness  that  our  country  has  been 
spared  the  suffering  and  desolation  which  war  has  spread 
so  widely.  Our  homes,  our  natural  resources,  our  means  of 
intercourse  and  the  institutions  which  uphold  the  life  of 
our  nation,  have  all  been  preserved.  We  are  free,  without 
let  or  hindrance,  to  go  forward  in  the  paths  of  industry, 
of  culture,  of  social  improvement  and  moral  reform.  The 


298  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

sense  of  opportunity  has  quickened  us,  and  we  turn  with 
eagerness  to  a  future  that  offers  us  boundless  advantage. 

Let  us  not  turn  hastily.  Our  recent  experience  has  taught 
us  innumerable  lessons,  too  full  and  profund  to  be  mastered 
at  once.  Their  ultimate  meaning  a  later  generation  will 
ponder  and  comprehend.  But  even  now  we  can  recognize 
the  import  of  this  conspicuous  fact:  a  great  nation  con¬ 
scious  of  power  yet  wholly  given  to  peace  and  unskilled  in 
the  making  of  war,  gathered  its  might  and  put  forth  its 
strength  in  behalf  of  freedom  and  right  as  the  inalienable 
endowment  of  all  mankind.  When  its  aims  were  accom¬ 
plished,  it  laid  down  its  arms,  without  gain  or  acquisition, 
save  in  the  clearer  understanding  of  its  own  ideals  and  the 
fuller  appreciation  of  the  blessings  which  freedom  alone 
can  bestow. 

The  achievement  was  costly.  It  meant  interruption  of 
peaceful  pursuits,  hardship  at  home  and  danger  abroad. 
Not  one  class  or  state  or  section,  but  the  people  as  a  whole 
had  to  take  up  the  burden.  This  spirit  of  union  and  sacrifice 
for  the  common  weal,  found  its  highest  expression  in  the 
men  and  women  who  went  to  do  service  in  distant  lands. 
To  them,  and  especially  to  those  who  died  that  America 
might  live,  we  are  forever  indebted.  Their  triumph  over 
self  is  the  real  victory,  their  loyalty  the  real  honor  of  our 
nation,  their  fidelity  to  duty  the  bulwark  of  our  freedom. 

To  such  men  and  their  memory,  eulogy  is  at  best  a  poor 
tribute.  We  shall  not  render  them  their  due  nor  show 
ourselves  worthy  to  name  them  as  our  own,  unless  we  in¬ 
herit  their  spirit  and  make  it  the  soul  of  our  national  life. 
The  very  monuments  we  raise  in  their  honor  will  become 
a  reproach  to  us,  if  we  fail  in  those  things  of  which  they 
have  left  us  such  splendid  example. 

VI.  The  Present  Situation 

We  entered  the  War  with  the  highest  of  objects,  pro¬ 
claiming  at  every  step  that  we  battled  for  the  right  and 
pointing  to  our  country  as  a  model  for  the  world’s  imita¬ 
tion.  We  accepted  therewith  the  responsibility  of  leader¬ 
ship  in  accomplishing  the  task  that  lies  before  mankind. 
The  world  awaits  our  fulfilment.  Pope  Benedict  himself 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


299 


has  declared  that  our  people,  “retaining  a  most  firm  hold 
on  the  principles  of  reasonable  liberty  and  of*  Christian 
civilization,  are  destined  to  have  the  chief  role  in  the  restora¬ 
tion  of  peace  and  order  on  the  basis  of  those  same  prin¬ 
ciples,  when  the  violence  of  these  tempestuous  days  shall 
have  passed.” 65 

This  beyond  doubt  is  a  glorious  destiny,  far  more  in 
keeping  with  the  aims  of  our  people  than  the  triumph  of 
armies  or  the  conquest  of  wider  domain.  Nor  is  it  an  im¬ 
possible  destiny,  provided  we  exemplify  in  our  own  national 
life  “the  principles  of  reasonable  liberty  and  of  Christian 
civilization.” 

At  present,  however,  we  are  confronted  with  problems 
at  home  that  give  us  the  gravest  concern.  Intent  as  we 
were  on  restoring  the  order  of  Europe,  we  did  not  suffi¬ 
ciently  heed  the  symptoms  of  unrest  in  our  own  country, 
nor  did  we  reckon  with  movements  which,  in  their  final 
result,  would  undo  both  our  recent  achievement  and  all  that 
America  has  so  far  accomplished. 

These  are  due,  partly,  to  the  disturbance  which  war  in¬ 
variably  causes,  by  turning  men  away  from  their  usual 
occupations,  by  reducing  production,  increasing  taxation 
and  adding  to  the  number  of  those  who  are  dependent  and 
helpless.  The  majority  of  the  people  do  not  realize  to  what 
an  extent  the  necessities  of  war  diverted  industrial  and 
other  activities  from  their  ordinary  course.  There  natu¬ 
rally  results  irritation  and  impatience  at  the  slowness  with 
which  reconstruction  proceeds. 

Deeper  and  more  ominous  is  the  ferment  in  the  souls 
of  men,  that  issues  in  agitation  not  simply  against  defects  in 
the  operation  of  the  existing  order,  but  also  against  that 
order  itself,  its  framework  and  very  foundation.  In  such 
a  temper  men  see  only  the  facts — the  unequal  distribution 
of  wealth,  power  and  worldly  advantage — and  against  the 
facts  they  rebel.  But  they  do  not  discern  the  real  causes 
that  produce  those  effects,  and  much  less  the  adequate 
means  by  which  both  causes  and  effects  can  be  removed. 
Hence,  in  the  attempt  at  remedy,  methods  are  employed 
which  result  in  failure,  and  beget  a  more  hopeless  confusion. 

65  Letter  to  the  Hierarchy,  April  10,  1919. 


300  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hkrarchy 

To  men  of  clearer  vision  and  calmer  judgment,  there 
comes  the  realization  that  the  things  on  which  they  relied 
for  the  world’s  security,  have  broken  under  the  strain.  The 
advance  of  civilization,  the  diffusion  of  knowledge,  the  un¬ 
limited  freedom  of  thought,  the  growing  relaxation  of 
moral  restraint — all  these,  it  was  believed,  had  given  such 
ample  scope  to  individual  aims  and  desires  that  conflict,  if 
it  arose  at  all,  could  be  readily  and  thoroughly  adjusted. 

The  assumption  is  not  borne  out  by  the  facts.  On  the 
contrary,  as  in  the  War  destruction  was  swifter  and  wider 
because  of  the  progress  of  science,  so  our  present  situation 
is  complicated  by  increased  ability  to  plan,  to  organize  and 
to  execute  in  any  direction  that  may  lead  to  any  success. 
Education  provided  at  the  public  expense  can  now  be  used 
as  the  strongest  means  of  attacking  the  public  weal;  and  to 
this  end  it  will  surely  be  used  unless  thinking  and  doing  be 
guided  by  upright  motives.  The  consciousness  of  power, 
quickened  by  our  achievement  in  war  but  no  longer  checked 
by  discipline  nor  directed  to  one  common  purpose,  has 
aroused  parties,  organizations  and  even  individuals  to  a 
boldness  of  undertaking  hitherto  unknown.  The  result  is 
an  effort  to  press  onward  in  the  pursuit  of  self-appointed 
ends,  with  little  regard  for  principles  and  still  less  for  the 
altruism  which  we  professed  on  entering  the  War. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  true,  intelligence,  initiative  and 
energy  have  been  exerted  to  accomplish  higher  and  worth¬ 
ier  aims.  It  was  thought  that  the  enthusiasm  and  eager¬ 
ness  for  service  which  war  had  called  forth,  might  easily 
be  directed  toward  useful  and  needed  reforms.  With  this 
persuasion  for  their  impulse  and  guidance,  various  move¬ 
ments  have  been  inaugurated  either  to  uproot  some  evil  or 
to  further  some  promising  cause. 

Now  it  is  obvious  that  neither  the  pursuit  of  lofty  ideals 
nor  earnest  devotion  to  the  general  welfare,  can  do  away 
with  the  fact  that  we  are  facing  grave  peril.  Much  less  can 
we  hide  that  fact  from  view  by  increasing  the  means  and 
following  the  inclination  to  pleasure.  No  sadder  contrast 
indeed  can  be  found  than  that  which  appears  between 
careless  enjoyment  in  countless  forms,  and  the  grim  strug¬ 
gle  that  is  shaking  the  foundations  of  social  existence. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


301 


Graving  for  excitement  and  its  reckless  gratification  may 
blind  us  to  danger;  but  the  danger  is  none  the  less  real. 

The  practical  conclusion  which  the  present  situation 
forces  upon  us,  is  this:  to  bring  order  out  of  confusion,  we 
must  first  secure  a  sound  basis  and  then  build  up  consist¬ 
ently.  Mere  expedients  no  longer  suffice.  To  cover  up 
evil  with  a  varnish  of  respectability  or  to  rear  a  grand 
structure  on  the  quicksand  of  error,  is  downright  folly.  In 
spite  of  great  earnestness  on  the  part  of  their  leaders,  re¬ 
forms  without  number  have  failed,  because  they  moved 
along  the  surface  of  life,  smoothing  indeed  its  outward  de¬ 
fects,  yet  leaving  the  source  of  corruption  within. 

One  true  reform  the  world  has  known.  It  was  effected, 
not  by  force,  agitation  or  theory,  but  by  a  Life  in  which  the 
perfect  ideal  was  visibly  realized,  becom¬ 
ing  the  “light  of  men.”  That  light  has  not  Christ  and 
grown  dim  with  the  passing  of  time.  Men  the  Church, 
have  turned  their  eyes  away  from  it;  even 
His  followers  have  strayed  from  its  pathway;  but  the  truth 
and  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ  are  real  and  clear  today — for 
all  who  are  willing  to  see.  There  is  no  other  name  under 
heaven  whereby  the  world  can  be  saved. 

Through  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  and  His  living  example, 
mankind  learned  the  meaning,  and  received  the  blessing, 
of  liberty.  In  His  person  was  shown  the  excellence  and 
true  dignity  of  human  nature,  wherein  human  rights  have 
their  center.  In  His  dealings  with  men,  justice  and  mercy, 
sympathy  and  courage,  pity  for  weakness  and  rebuke  for 
hollow  pretence,  were  perfectly  blended.  Having  fulfilled 
the  law,  He  gave  to  His  followers  a  new  commandment. 
Having  loved  His  own  who  were  in  the  world,  He  loved 
them  to  the  end.  And  since  He  came  that  they  might  have 
life  and  have  it  more  abundantly,  He  gave  it  to  them 
through  His  death. 

The  Church  which  Christ  established  has  continued  His 
work,  upholding  the  dignity  of  man,  defending  the  rights  of 
the  people,  relieving  distress,  consecrating  sacrifice  and 
binding  all  classes  together  in  the  love  of  their  Saviour. 
The  combination  of  authority  and  reasonable  freedom 
which  is  the  principal  element  in  the  organization  of  the 


302 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


Church,  is  also  indispensable  in  our  social  relations.  With¬ 
out  it,  there  can  be  neither  order  nor  law  nor  genuine 
freedom. 

But  the  Church  itself  would  have  been  powerless  save 
for  the  abiding  presence  of  Christ  and  his  Spirit.  “Without 
me,  you  can  do  nothing;”  but  again,  “Behold  I  am  with  you 
all  days.”  Both  these  sayings  are  as  true  today  as  when 
they  were  spoken  by  the  Master.  There  may  be  philoso¬ 
phies  and  ideals  and  schemes  of  reform;  the  wise  may 
deliberate  and  the  powerful  exert  their  might;  but  when  the 
souls  of  men  have  to  be  reached  and  transformed  to  a 
better  sense,  that  justice  may  reign  and  charity  abound, 
then  more  than  ever  is  it  true  that  without  Christ  our  efforts 
are  vain. 

Instructed  by  His  example,  the  Church  deals  with  men 
as  they  really  are,  recognizing  both  the  capacities  for  good 

and  the  inclinations  to  evil  that  are  in  every 

The  Sources  human  being.  Exaggeration  in  either  di- 
of  Evil.  rection  is  an  error.  That  the  world  has 
progressed  in  many  respects,  is  obviously 
true;  but  it  is  equally  plain  that  the  nature  of  man  is  what 
it  was  twenty  centuries  ago.  Those  who  overlooked  this 
fact,  were  amazed  at  the  outbreak  of  war  among  nations 
that  were  foremost  in  progress.  But  now  it  is  evident  that 
beneath  the  surface  of  civilization  lay  smoldering  the  pas¬ 
sions  and  jealousies  that  in  all  time  past  had  driven  na¬ 
tions  to  conflict.  Pope  Benedict  expressed  this  truth  when 
he  pointed  to  the  causes  of  war:  lack  of  mutual  good  will, 
contempt  for  authority,  conflict  of  class  with  class,  and  ab¬ 
sorption  in  the  pursuit  of  the  perishable  goods  of  this  world, 
with  utter  disregard  of  things  that  are  nobler  and  worthier 
of  human  endeavor.66 

These  are  the  seed  and  prolific  sources  of  evil.  As  ten¬ 
dencies  perhaps,  they  cannot  be  wholly  extirpated;  but  to 
justify  them  as  principles  of  action,  to  train  them  into  sys¬ 
tems  of  philosophy  and  let  them,  through  education,  be¬ 
come  the  thought  of  the  people,  would  be  fatal  to  all  our 
true  interests.  As  long  as  the  teaching  of  false  theory  con¬ 
tinues,  we  cannot  expect  that  men  will  act  in  accordance 

ee  Encyc.  Ad  beatissimi  Nov.  1,  1914. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


303 


with  truth.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  philosophy  has 
a  meaning  for  only  the  chosen  few  who  enjoy  the  advantage 
of  higher  education  and  leisurely  thinking;  and  it  is  worse 
than  a  mistake  to  punish  men  for  acting  out  pernicious 
ideas,  while  the  development  and  diffusion  of  those  same 
ideas  is  rewarded  as  advancement  of  knowledge.  We 
surely  need  no  further  proof  of  the  dangers  of  materialism, 
of  atheism  and  of  other  doctrines  that  banish  God  from  His 
world,  degrade  man  to  the  level  of  the  brute  and  reduce 
the  moral  order  to  a  struggle  for  existence.  Argument 
against  such  doctrines,  or  theoretical  testing  of  their  value, 
is  superfluous,  now  that  we  see  the  result  of  their  practical 
application.  And  while,  with  every  legitimate  means  we 
strive,  as  we  must,  to  uphold  the  rights  of  the  public  by  the 
maintenance  of  order,  let  us  be  fully  convinced  that  we  are 
dealing  with  the  final  and  logical  outcome  of  false  doctrine. 
Here  again  the  source  lies  farther  back.  If  we  find  that  the 
fruit  is  evil,  we  should  know  what  to  do  with  the  root. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  growth  of  knowledge  and 
its  application  to  practical  needs  have  made  the  earth  a 
better  habitation  for  man;  many  appear  to 
consider  it  as  his  first  and  only  abode.  As  The 

the  means  of  enjoyment  are  multiplied,  Fundamental 
there  is  an  increasing  tendency  to  become  Error, 
absorbed  in  worldly  pursuits  and  to 
neglect  those  which  belong  to  our  eternal  welfare.  The 
trend  of  speculative  thought  is  in  the  same  direction;  for 
while  the  development  of  science  continually  affords  us 
evidence  of  law  and  order  and  purpose  in  the  world  about 
us,  many  refuse  to  acknowledge  in  creation  the  work  of  an 
intelligent  author.  They  profess  to  see  in  the  universe  only 
the  manifestation  of  a  Power,  whose  effects  are  absolutely 
determined  through  the  operation  of  mechanical  forces; 
and  they  extend  this  conception  to  life  and  all  its  relations. 
But  once  this  view  is  accepted,  it  is  easy  to  draw  the  con¬ 
clusion  that  the  really  decisive  factor  in  human  affairs  is 
force.  Whether  by  cunning  or  by  violence,  the  stronger  is 
sure  to  prevail.  It  is  a  law  unto  itself  and  it  is  accountable 
to  none  other,  since  the  idea  of  a  Supreme  Lawgiver  has 
vanished. 


304  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

This  indeed  is  the  root-evil  whence  spring  the  immediate 
causes  of  our  present  condition.  God,  from  whom  all 
things  are  and  on  whom  all  things  depend,  the  Creator  and 
Ruler  of  men,  the  source  and  sanction  of  righteousness,  the 
only  Judge  who  with  perfect  justice  can  weigh  the  deeds 
and  read  the  hearts  of  men,  has,  practically  at  least,  dis¬ 
appeared  from  the  whole  conception  of  life  so  far  as  this 
is  dominated  by  a  certain  type  of  modern  thought. 
Wherever  this  sort  of  thinking  is  taken  as  truth,  there  is  set 
up  a  scheme  of  life,  individual,  social  and  political,  which 
seeks,  not  in  the  eternal  but  in  the  human  and  transitory, 
its  ultimate  foundation.  The  law  of  morals  is  regarded  as 
a  mere  convention  arranged  by  men  to  secure  and  enjoy 
the  goods  of  this  present  time;  and  conscience  itself  as 
simply  a  higher  form  of  the  instinct  whereby  the  animal  is 
guided.  And  yet  withal  it  lies  in  the  very  nature  of  man 
that  something  must  be  supreme,  something  must  take  the 
place  of  the  divine  when  this  has  been  excluded;  and  this 
substitute  for  God,  according  to  a  predominant  philosophy, 
is  the  State.  Possessed  of  unlimited  power  to  establish 
rights  and  impose  obligations,  the  State  becomes  the  sov¬ 
ereign  ruler  in  human  affairs;  its  will  is  the  last  word  of 
justice,  its  welfare  the  determinant  of  moral  values,  its 
service  the  final  aim  of  man’s  existence  and  action. 

When  such  an  estimate  of  life  and  its  purpose  is  ac¬ 
cepted,  it  is  idle  to  speak  of  the  supreme  value  of  right¬ 
eousness,  the  sacredness  of  justice  or  the 
God  sanctity  of  conscience.  Nevertheless,  these 

the  Supreme  are  things  that  must  be  retained,  in  name 
Ruler.  and  in  reality:  the  only  alternative  is  that 
supremacy  of  force  against  which  human¬ 
ity  protests.  To  make  the  protest  effectual,  it  is  imperative 
that  we  recognize  in  God  the  source  of  justice  and  right; 
in  His  law,  the  sovereign  rule  of  life;  in  the  destiny  which 
He  has  appointed  for  us,  the  ultimate  standard  by  which 
all  values  are  fixed  and  determined.  Reverent  acknowl¬ 
edgment  of  our  dependence  on  Him  and  our  responsibility 
to  Him,  acknowledgment  not  in  word  alone  but  in  the  con¬ 
duct  of  our  lives,  is  at  once  our  highest  duty  and  our  strong¬ 
est  title  to  the  enjoyment  of  our  rights.  This  acknowledg- 


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305 


ment  we  express  in  part  by  our  service  of  prayer  and  wor¬ 
ship.  But  prayer  and  worship  will  not  avail,  unless  we  also 
render  the  broader  service  of  good  will  which,  in  conform¬ 
ity  with  His  will,  follows  the  path  of  duty  in  every  sphere 
of  life. 

As  we  are  not  the  authors  of  our  own  being,  so  we  are 
not,  in  an  absolute  sense,  masters  of  ourselves  and  of  our 
powers.  We  may  not  determine  for  ourselves  the  ultimate 
aim  of  our  existence  or  the  means  of  its  attainment.  God 
has  established,  by  the  very  constitution  of  our  nature,  the 
end  for  which  He  created  us,  giving  us  life  as  a  sacred  trust 
to  be  administered  in  accordance  with  His  design.  Thereby 
He  has  also  established  the  norm  of  our  individual  worth, 
and  the  basis  of  our  real  independence.  Obedience  to  His 
law,  making  our  wills  identical  with  His,  invests  us  with  a 
personal  dignity  which  neither  self-assertion  nor  the  ap¬ 
proval  of  others  can  ever  bestow.  The  man  who  bows  in 
obedience  to  the  law  of  his  Maker,  rises  above  himself  and 
above  the  world  to  an  independence  that  has  no  bounds 
save  the  Infinite.  To  do  as  God  commands,  whatever  the 
world  may  think  or  say,  is  to  be  free,  not  by  human  allow¬ 
ance  but  under  the  approval  of  Him  whose  service  is  per¬ 
fect  freedom. 

In  the  light  of  this  central  truth,  we  can  understand  and 
appreciate  the  principle  on  which  our  American  liberties 
are  founded — “that  all  men  are  endowed  by  their  Creator 
with  certain  inalienable  rights.”  These  are  conferred  by 
God  with  equal  bounty  upon  every  human  being,  and  there¬ 
fore,  in  respect  of  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness, 
the  same  rights  belong  to  all  men  and  for  the  same  reason. 
Not  by  mutual  concession  or  covenant,  not  by  warrant  or 
grant  from  the  State,  are  these  rights  established;  they  are 
the  gift  and  bestowal  of  God.  In  consequence  of  this  en¬ 
dowment,  and  therefore  in  obedience  to  the  Creator’s  will, 
each  of  us  is  bound  to  respect  the  rights  of  his  fellowmen. 
This  is  the  essential  meaning  of  justice,  the  great  law  ante¬ 
cedent  to  all  human  enactment  and  contrivance,  the  only 
foundation  on  which  may  rest  securely  the  fabric  of  society 
and  the  structure  of  our  political,  legal  and  economic 
systems. 


306  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

VII.  Justice 

The  obligation  to  give  every  man  his  due,  is  binding  at 
all  times  and  under  all  conditions.  It  permits  no  man  to 
say,  I  will  be  just  only  when  justice  falls  in  with  my  aims, 
or  furthers  my  interests;  and  I  will  refrain  from  injustice 
when  this  would  expose  me  to  failure,  to  loss  of  reputation 
or  to  penalty  enacted  by  law.  The  obligation  is  binding  in 
conscience,  that  representative  of  God  which  He  has  es¬ 
tablished  in  our  innermost  selves,  which  requires  our  obedi¬ 
ence  not  merely  out  of  self-respect  or  as  a  matter  of  our 
preference,  but  as  speaking  in  His  name  and  expressing 
His  mandate. 

Let  this  spirit  of  justice  and  conscientious  observance 
prevail  in  the  dealings  of  man  with  man:  it  will  soon  de¬ 
termine  what  practices  are  honest,  what  methods  are  justi¬ 
fied  by  the  necessities  of  competition,  by  economic  law,  by 
opportunity  of  profit,  by  the  silence  of  the  civil  law  or  the 
laxity  of  its  administration.  It  will  weigh  in  the  same  even 
balance  the  deeds  of  every  man,  whatever  his  station  or 
power;  and  it  will  appraise  at  their  true  moral  value  all 
schemes  and  transactions,  whether  large  or  small,  whether 
conducted  by  individuals  or  groups  or  complex  organiza¬ 
tions. 

The  same  spirit  of  justice  that  condemns  dishonesty  in 
private  dealings,  must  condemn  even  more  emphatically 
any  and  every  attempt  on  the  part  of  individuals  to  further 
their  interests  at  the  expense  of  the  public  welfare.  The 
upright  citizen  refuses  as  a  matter  of  conscience  to  defraud 
his  neighbor,  to  violate  his  pledges  or  to  take  unfair  ad¬ 
vantage.  Likewise,  in  his  business  relations  with  the  com¬ 
munity  as  a  whole,  whatever  the  character  of  his  service, 
he  is  careful  to  observe  the  prescriptions  of  justice.  He 
feels  that  if  it  is  wrong  to  overreach  or  circumvent  his 
brother  in  any  matter,  the  wrong  is  not  less  but  far  more 
grevious  when  inflicted  on  the  commonwealth. 

The  true  remedy  for  many  of  the  disorders  with  which 
we  are  troubled,  is  to  be  found  in  a  clearer  understanding  of 
civil  authority.  Rulers  and  people  alike  must  be  guided  by 
the  truth  that  the  State  is  not  merely  an  invention  of  human 
forethought,  that  its  power  is  not  created  by  human  agree- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


307 


ment  or  even  by  nature’s  device.  Destined  as  we  are  by  our 
Maker  to  live  together  in  social  intercourse  and  mutual  co¬ 
operation  for  the  fulfilment  of  our  duties, 
the  proper  development  of  our  faculties  Origin  of 
and  the  adequate  satisfaction  of  our  wants,  Authority, 
our  association  can  be  orderly  and  pros¬ 
perous  only  when  the  wills  of  the  many  are  directed  by 
that  moral  power  which  we  call  authority.  This  is  the 
unifying  and  coordinating  principle  of  the  social  struc¬ 
ture.  It  has  its  origin  in  God  alone.  In  whom  it  shall 
be  vested  and  by  whom  exercised,  is  determined  in  various 
ways,  sometimes  by  the  outcome  of  circumstances  and  pro¬ 
vidential  events,  sometimes  by  the  express  will  of  the  peo¬ 
ple.  But  the  right  which  it  possesses  to  legislate,  to  execute 
and  administer,  is  derived  from  God  himself.  “There  is 
no  power  but  from  God;  and  those  that  are,  are  ordained  of 
God.”67  Consequently,  “he  that  resisteth  the  power,  re- 
sisteth  the  ordinance  of  God.”68 

The  State,  then,  has  a  sacred  claim  upon  our  respect  and 
loyalty.  It  may  justly  impose  obligations  and  demand 
sacrifices,  for  the  sake  of  the  common  wel¬ 
fare  which  it  is  established  to  promote.  Powers 
It  is  the  means  to  an  end,  not  an  end  in  of  the  State, 
itself;  and  because  it  receives  its  power 
from  God,  it  cannot  rightfully  exert  that  power  through  any 
act  or  measure  that  would  be  at  variance  with  the  divine 
law,  or  with  the  divine  economy  for  man’s  salvation. 
As  long  as  the  State  remains  within  its  proper  limits  and 
really  furthers  the  common  good,  it  has  a  right  to  our  obed¬ 
ience.  And  this  obedience  we  are  bound  to  render,  not 
merely  on  grounds  of  expediency  but  as  a  conscientious 
duty.  “Be  subject  of  necessity,  not  only  for  wrath  but  also 
for  conscience  sake.”69 

The  end  for  which  the  State  exists  and  for  which  author¬ 
ity  is  given  it,  determines  the  limit  of  its  powers.  It  must 
respect  and  protect  the  divinely  established  rights  of  the 
individual  and  of  the  family.  It  must  safeguard  the  liberty 
of  all,  so  that  none  shall  encroach  upon  the  rights  of  others. 
But  it  may  not  rightfully  hinder  the  citizen  in  the  discharge 


6T  Romans  xiii.  1. 


a  Ibid.  2. 


69  Ibid.  5. 


308  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

of  his  conscientious  obligation,  and  much  less  in  the  per¬ 
formance  of  duties  which  he  owes  to  God.  To  all  com¬ 
mands  that  would  prevent  him  from  worshipping  the  Cre¬ 
ator  in  spirit  and  truth,  the  citizen  will  uphold  his  right  by 
saying  with  the  Apostles:  “We  ought  to  obey  God  rather 
than  men.” 70 

Where  the  State  protects  all  in  the  reasonable  exercise 
of  their  rights,  there  liberty  exists.  ‘The  nature  of  human 
liberty,”  says  Leo  XIII,  “however  it  be  considered,  whether 
in  the  individual  or  in  society,  whether  in  those  who  are 
governed  or  in  those  who  govern,  supposes  the  necessity  of 
obedience  to  a  supreme  and  eternal  law,  which  is  no  other 
than  the  authority  of  God,  commanding  good  and  for¬ 
bidding  evil;  and  so  far  from  destroying  or  even  diminish¬ 
ing  their  liberty,  the  just  authority  of  God  over  men  pro¬ 
tects  it  and  makes  it  perfect.”71 

The  State  itself  should  be  the  first  to  appreciate  the  im¬ 
portance  of  religion  for  the  preservation  of  the  common 
weal.  It  can  ill  afford  at  any  time,  and  least  of  all  in  the 
present  condition  of  the  world,  to  reject  the  assistance 
which  Christianity  offers  for  the  maintenance  of  peace  and 
order.  “Let  princes  and  rulers  of  the  people,”  says  Pope 
Benedict  XV,  “bear  this  in  mind  and  bethink  themselves 
whether  it  be  wise  and  salutary,  either  for  public  authority 
or  for  the  nations  themselves,  to  set  aside  the  holy  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ,  in  which  that  very  authority  may  find  such 
powerful  support  and  defense.  Let  them  seriously  con¬ 
sider  whether  it  be  the  part  of  political  wisdom  to  exclude 
from  the  ordinance  of  the  State  and  from  public  instruc¬ 
tion,  the  teaching  of  the  Gospel  and  of  the  Church.  Only 
too  well  does  experience  show  that  when  religion  is  ban¬ 
ished,  human  authority  totters  to  its  fall.  That  which  hap¬ 
pened  to  the  first  of  our  race  when  he  failed  in  his  duty  to 
God,  usually  happens  to  nations  as  well.  Scarcely  had  the 
will  in  him  rebelled  against  God  when  the  passions  arose  in 
rebellion  against  the  will;  and  likewise,  when  the  rulers  of 
the  people  disdain  the  authority  of  God,  the  people  in  turn 
despise  the  authority  of  men.  There  remains,  it  is  true,  the 
usual  expedient  of  suppressing  rebellion  by  force;  but  to 

70  Acts  v.  29.  7i  Encyc.  Libertas  preestanttssimum,  June  20,  1888. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


309 


what  effect?  Force  subdues  the  bodies  of  men,  not  their 
souls.” 72 

VIII.  Charity 

The  spiritual  endowment  of  man,  his  rights  and  his 
liberties  have  their  source  in  the  goodness  of  God.  In¬ 
finitely  just  as  Ruler  of  the  world.  He  is  infinitely  good  as 
Father  of  mankind.  He  uses  His  supreme  authority  to  lay 
upon  men  the  commandment  of  love.  “Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  thy  whole  heart,  and  with  thy  whole 
soul,  and  with  thy  whole  mind.  This  is  the  greatest  and  the 
first  commandment.  And  the  second  is  like  to  this:  thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.” 73 

Let  us  not  persuade  ourselves  that  we  have  fully  complied 
with  the  divine  law  in  regard  to  our  relations  with  our  fel- 
lowmen,  when  we  have  carefully  discharged  all  the  obli¬ 
gations  of  justice.  For  its  safeguard  and  completion,  the 
stern  law  of  justice  looks  to  the  gentler  but  none  the  less 
obligatory  law  of  charity.  Justice  presents  our  fellowman 
as  an  exacting  creditor,  who  rightly  demands  the  satis¬ 
faction  of  his  rightful  claims.  Charity  calls  on  us  as  chil¬ 
dren  of  the  one  universal  family  whose  Father  is  God,  to 
cherish  for  one  another  active  brotherly  love  second  only 
to  the  love  which  we  owe  to  Him.  “It  is  not  enough,”  says 
St.  Thomas,  “that  peace  and  concord  reign  among  the  cit¬ 
izens:  love  also  must  prevail.  Justice  prevents  them  from 
injuring  one  another;  it  does  not  require  them  to  help  one 
another.  Yet  it  often  happens  that  some  need  aid  which 
falls  under  no  obligation  of  justice.  Here  charity  steps  in 
and  summons  us  to  further  service  in  the  name  of  the  love 
we  owe  to  God.”74  Though  different  in  kind  from  justice, 
the  precept  of  charity  imposes  duties  which  we  may  not 
disregard.  To  love  the  neighbor  is  not  simply  a  matter  of 
option  or  a  counsel  which  they  may  follow  who  aim  at 
moral  perfection:  it  is  a  divine  command  that  is  equally 
binding  on  all.  It  extends  beyond  kindred  and  friends  to 
include  all  men,  and  it  obligates  us  in  thought  and  will  no 
less  than  in  outward  action. 

As  commonly  understood,  charity  is  manifested  in  deeds 

72  Encyc.  Ad  beatissimi,  November  1,  1914. 

78  Matt.  xxii.  37-39.  74  Contra  Gentes.  ill.  129. 


310 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


that  tend  to  the  relief  of  suffering  in  any  of  its  various 
forms,  or  that  provide  opportunities  of  advancement  for 
those  who  have  none,  or  that  add  somewhat  to  the  scant 
pleasure  of  many  laborious  lives.  And  these  beyond  ques¬ 
tion  are  deeds  that  deserve  all  praise.  But  it  is  in  the  source 
whence  they  come,  in  the  good  will  which  prompts  them, 
that  the  essence  of  charity  consists.  We  may  love  others 
from  a  sense  of  our  common  humanity,  from  sympathy, 
from  natural  pity  for  pain  and  distress.  Yet  this  benevo¬ 
lence  is  securely  based  and  immeasurably  ennobled,  when 
it  is  quickened  with  the  higher  motive  of  love  for  God,  the 
heavenly  Father.  Then  the  pale  form  of  altruism  or  hu- 
manitarianism  is  replaced  by  the  divine  presence  of  charity. 

By  its  very  nature,  charity  is  a  social  virtue.  Wherever 
a  social  group  is  formed — in  the  home,  the  community,  the 
civic  association — good  will  is  a  necessity.  It  is  charity 
rather  than  justice  that  overcomes  selfishness,  casts  out 
rancour,  forbids  hatred,  clears  away  misunderstanding, 
leads  to  reconciliation.  After  justice  has  rendered  impar¬ 
tial  decision,  it  is  charity  that  brings  men  back  to  fellowship. 
And  if  at  times  it  be  fitting  that  mercy  should  season  justice, 
the  quality  of  mercy  itself  is  but  charity  touched  to  com¬ 
passion. 

The  law  of  charity  is  essentially  the  law  of  the  Gospel, 
the  “new  commandment”  which  Jesus  gave  His  disciples. 

It  is  the  distinctive  badge  of  the  Christian : 
The  Law  of  “By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  you  are 
the  Gospel.  my  disciples,  if  you  have  love  one  for  an¬ 
other.”75  And  more  than  this:  the  Incar¬ 
nation  itself  was  evidence  of  the  divine  goodwill  toward 
men:  “By  this  hath  the  charity  of  God  appeared  toward 
us,  because  God  hath  sent  his  only  begotten  Son  into  the 
world  that  we  may  live  by  Him.” 76 

It  is  therefore  significant  that,  as  the  world  moves  far¬ 
ther  away  from  Christ  and  loses  the  spirit  of  His  teaching, 
there  should  be  less  and  less  of  the  charity  which  He  would 
have  His  disciples  to  practice.  On  the  other  hand,  we,  as 
Christians,  must  ask  ourselves  whether  we  have  so  fully 
observed  the  “new  commandment”  of  love  as  to  leave  the 


75  John  xlii.  35. 


78  1  John  iv.  9. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


311 


world  without  excuse  for  its  unbelief.  There  are  countless 
forms  of  charity  which  seek  no  publicity  and  ask  no  earthly 
reward:  these  the  world  could  hardly  be  expected  to  know. 
But  it  cannot  help  seeing  such  evidences  of  love  as  appear 
in  the  ordinary  conduct  of  genuine  Christians,  in  their  daily 
intercourse,  their  speech  and  habits  of  thought.  That  men 
in  exceptional  conditions  should  rise  to  great  heights  of 
self-sacrifice,  is  proof  indeed  of  a  natural  disposition,  which 
may  remain  latent  until  it  is  stirred  into  action  by  sudden 
disaster  or  national  peril:  then  it  becomes  heroic.  Charity, 
however,  does  not  wait  for  such  occasions;  it  finds  its  op¬ 
portunity  in  season  and  out  of  season,  and  it  makes  heroes 
of  men  in  peace  no  less  than  in  war.  This,  then,  should  be 
our  concern,  this  constant  exercise  of  good  will  toward  all 
men,  that  they  may  see  in  us  the  disciples  of  Christ  and  be 
led  to  Him  through  the  power  of  love. 


IX.  Social  Relations 

The  security  of  the  nation  and  the  efficiency  of  govern¬ 
ment  for  the  general  weal  depend  largely  upon  the  stand¬ 
ards  which  are  adopted,  and  the  practices  which  are  ad¬ 
mitted,  in  social  relations.  This  is  characteristic  of  a  de¬ 
mocracy,  where  the  makers  of  law  are  commissioned  to  do 
the  will  of  the  people.  In  matters  pertaining  to  morality, 
legislation  will  not  rise  above  the  level  established  by  the 
general  tone  and  tenor  of  society.  It  is  necessary,  then,  for 
the  preservation  of  national  life,  that  social  morality,  in  its 
usage  and  sanction,  be  sound  and  steadfast  and  pure. 

This  aim  can  be  accomplished  only  by  reaching  the 
sources  in  which  life  has  its  origin,  and  from  which  the 
individual  character  receives  its  initial 
direction.  As  the  family  is  the  first  social  Marriage, 
group,  it  is  also  the  center  whose  influence 
permeates  the  entire  social  body.  And  since  family  life 
takes  its  rise  from  the  union  of  husband  and  wife,  the 
sanctity  of  marriage  and  of  marital  relations  is  of  prime 
importance  for  the  purity  of  social  relations. 

The  esteem  in  which  marriage  is  held,  furnishes  an  in¬ 
dex  of  a  people’s  morality.  If  honor  and  respect  be  due 
an  institution  in  proportion  to  its  sacredness,  its  signifi- 


312  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

cance  for  human  happiness  and  the  measure  of  respon¬ 
sibility  which  it  implies,  marriage  must  claim  the  reverence 
of  every  mind  that  is  capable  of  paying  tribute  to  anything 
good.  A  lowering  of  the  general  estimate  is  a  symptom  of 
moral  decline. 

That  such  a  lowering  has  taken  place  is  due,  in  part,  to 
the  disregard  of  those  requirements  which  even  the  pros¬ 
pect  of  marriage  imposes.  While  emphasis  is  laid,  and 
rightly,  upon  physical  qualifications,  not  sufficient  impor¬ 
tance  is  attached  to  moral  fitness,  the  real  basis  of  marital 
happiness. 

It  is  essential,  in  the  first  place,  that  clean  living  before 
marriage  be  equally  obligatory  on  men  and  women.  The 
toleration  of  vicious  courses  in  one  party  while  the  other  is 
strictly  held  to  the  practice  of  virtue,  may  rest  on  conven¬ 
tion  or  custom;  but  it  is  ethically  false,  and  it  is  plainly  at 
variance  with  the  law  of  God,  which  enjoins  personal  pur¬ 
ity  upon  each  and  all. 

Those  who  contemplate  marriage  should  further  make 
sure  that  their  motives  are  upright.  Where  the  dominant 
aim  is  selfish,  where  choice  is  controlled  by  ambition  or 
greed,  and  where  superficial  qualities  are  preferred  to  char¬ 
acter,  genuine  love  is  out  of  the  question:  such  marriages 
are  bargains  rather  than  unions,  and  their  only  result  is 
discord. 

The  same  consequence  may  be  expected  from  one-sided 
views  of  the  marital  relation.  It  is  a  vain  idealism  that 
anticipates  joy  in  perfection,  but  takes  no  thought  of  the 
mutual  forbearance  which  is  constantly  needed,  or  of  the 
courage  which  trial  demands,  or  of  the  serious  obligations 
which  family  life  implies.  Illusion  in  such  matters  is  the 
worst  kind  of  ignorance. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  idealism  of  the  truest  and  most 
practical  sort  that  sees  in  marriage  the  divinely  appointed 
plan  for  cooperating  with  the  Creator  in  perpetuating  the 
race,  and  that  accepts  the  responsibility  of  bringing  chil¬ 
dren  into  the  world,  who  may  prove  either  a  blessing  or  a 
curse  to  society  at  large. 

Where  such  ideals  prevail,  the  fulfilment  of  marital 
duties  occasions  no  hardship.  Neither  is  there  any  con- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


313 


sideration  for  the  fraudulent  prudence  that  would  improve 
upon  nature  by  defeating  its  obvious  purpose,  and  would 
purify  life  by  defiling  its  source.  The  selfishness  which 
leads  to  race  suicide  with  or  without  the  pretext  of  bettering 
the  species,  is,  in  God’s  sight,  “a  detestable  thing.” 77  It  is 
the  crime  of  individuals  for  which,  eventually,  the  nation 
must  suffer.  The  harm  which  it  does  cannot  be  repaired  by 
social  service,  nor  offset  by  pretending  economic  or  domes¬ 
tic  advantage.  On  the  contrary,  there  is  joy  in  the  hope  of 
offspring,  for  “the  inheritance  of  the  Lord  are  children;  and 
His  reward,  the  fruit  of  the  womb.” 78  The  bond  of  love  is 
strengthened,  fresh  stimulus  is  given  to  thrift  and  indus¬ 
trious  effort,  and  the  very  sacrifices  which  are  called  for 
become  sources  of  blessing. 

For  the  Christian  the  performance  of  these  duties  is 
lightened  by  the  fact  that  marriage  is  not  a  mere  contract: 
it  is  a  sacrament  and  therefore,  in  the  truest  sense,  a  holy 
estate.  It  sanctifies  the  union  of  husband  and  wife,  and  sup¬ 
plies  them  with  graces  that  enable  them  to  fulfil  their  obli¬ 
gations.  Hence  it  is  that  the  Church  invests  the  celebration 
of  marriage  with  a  solemnity  becoming  its  sacramental  im¬ 
portance,  performs  the  sacred  rite  at  the  foot  of  the  Altar, 
and  unites  it  in  the  Nuptial  Mass  with  the  sublimest  of  reli¬ 
gious  functions. 

Originating  in  such  solemn  circumstances,  the  family 
life  receives,  at  its  very  inception,  a  blessing  and  a  conse¬ 
cration.  The  “sacredness  of  home”  has  a  definite  meaning 
deeper  than  its  natural  privacy,  its  intimacy  and  inviol¬ 
ability:  the  home  is  sacred  because  it  is  established  with 
God’s  benediction  to  carry  out  His  purpose  in  regard  to 
mankind. 

Public  authority  and  social  sanction  unite  to  safeguard 
the  home,  to  protect  its  rights  and  condemn  their  violation. 
But  its  strongest  defense  is  in  the  keeping  of  those  who 
make  it,  in  their  mutual  fidelity  and  careful  observance  of 
their  respective  duties.  These  alone  can  ward  off  tempta¬ 
tion  and  forestall  the  intrusion  from  without  of  influences 
which,  through  treachery,  bring  about  ruin. 

There  is  need  of  greater  vigilance  in  protecting  the  home 


77  Gen.  xxxviii.  10. 


78  Ps.  cxxvi. 


314  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

at  this  time,  owing  to  conditions  which  tend  to  weaken  its 
influence.  The  demands  of  industry,  of  business  and  of 
social  intercourse  subject  the  family  tie  to  a  strain  that  be¬ 
comes  more  severe  as  civilization  advances.  Parents  who 
are  sensible  of  their  obligations,  will  exert  themselves  to 
meet  external  pressure  by  making  the  home  more  attractive. 
They  will  set  their  children  the  example  of  giving  home 
their  first  consideration.  And  while  they  contribute  their 
share  of  service  and  enjoyment  as  their  social  position  re¬ 
quires,  they  will  not  neglect  their  children  for  the  sake 
of  amusement  or  pleasure. 

In  this  matter  we  appeal  with  special  earnestness  to 
Catholic  mothers,  whose  position  in  the  home  gives  them 
constant  opportunity  to  realize  its  needs  and  provide  for 
its  safety.  Let  them  take  to  heart  the  words  of  Holy  Scrip¬ 
ture  in  praise  of  the  virtuous  woman :  “Strength  and  beauty 
are  her  clothing.  .  .  .  She  hath  opened  her  mouth  in  wis¬ 
dom  and  the  law  of  clemency  is  on  her  tongue.  She  hath 
looked  well  to  the  paths  of  her  house  and  hath  not  eaten 
her  bread  in  idleness.  Her  children  rose  up  and  called  her 
blessed;  her  husband,  and  he  praised  her.”79  The  home 
that  is  ruled  by  such  a  woman  has  nothing  to  fear  in  the 
way  of  domestic  trouble. 

Of  itself  and  under  normal  conditions,  marital  love  en¬ 
dures  through  life,  growing  in  strength  as  time  passes  and 

renewing  itself  in  tenderness  in  the  chil- 
Divorce.  dren  that  are  its  pledges.  The  thought  of 
separation  even  by  death  is  repugnant,  and 
nothing  less  than  death  can  weaken  the  bond.  No  sane 
man  or  woman  regards  divorce  as  a  good  thing;  the  most 
that  can  be  said  in  its  favor  is  that,  under  given  circum¬ 
stances,  it  affords  relief  from  intolerable  evil. 

Reluctantly,  the  Church  permits  limited  divorce:  the 
parties  are  allowed  for  certain  cause  to  separate,  though 
the  bond  continues  in  force  and  neither  may  contract  a 
new  marriage  while  the  other  is  living.  But  absolute  divorce 
which  severs  the  bond,  the  Church  does  not  and  will  not 
permit. 

We  consider  the  growth  of  the  divorce  evil  an  evidence 


7»  Proverbs  xxxi.  25-28. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


315 


of  moral  decay  and  a  present  danger  to  the  best  elements 
in  our  American  life.  In  its  causes  and  their  revelation  by 
process  of  law,  in  its  results  for  those  who  are  immediately 
concerned  and  its  suggestion  to  the  minds  of  the  entire  com¬ 
munity,  divorce  is  our  national  scandal.  It  not  only  dis¬ 
rupts  the  home  of  the  separated  parties,  but  it  also  leads 
others  who  are  not  yet  married,  to  look  upon  the  bond  as 
a  trivial  circumstance.  Thus,  through  the  ease  and  fre¬ 
quency  with  which  it  is  granted,  divorce  increases  with  an 
evil  momentum  until  it  passes  the  limits  of  decency  and 
reduces  the  sexual  relation  to  the  level  of  animal  instinct. 

This  degradation  of  marriage,  once  considered  the  hol¬ 
iest  of  human  relations,  naturally  tends  to  the  injury  of 
other  things  whose  efficacy  ought  to  be  secured,  not  by  co¬ 
ercion  but  by  the  freely  given  respect  of  a  free  people. 
Public  authority,  individual  rights  and  even  the  institutions 
on  which  liberty  depends,  must  inevitably  weaken.  Hence 
the  importance  of  measures  and  movements  which  aim  at 
checking  the  spread  of  divorce.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  they 
succeed;  but  an  effectual  remedy  cannot  be  found  or  ap¬ 
plied,  unless  we  aim  at  purity  in  all  matters  of  sex,  restore 
the  dignity  of  marriage  and  emphasize  its  obligations. 

By  divine  ordinance,  each  human  being  becomes  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  larger  social  group,  and  in  due  course  enters 
into  social  relations.  These  are,  and 
should  be,  a  means  of  promoting  good  will  Social 
and  an  occasion  for  the  practice  of  many  Intercourse, 
virtues,  notably  of  justice  and  charity. 

That  social  enjoyment  is  quite  compatible  with  serious 
occupation  and  with  devotion  to  the  public  good,  is  evident 
from  the  services  rendered  during  the  War  by  all  classes 
of  people,  and  especially  by  those  who  gave  up  their  com¬ 
fort  and  ease  in  obedience  to  the  call  of  their  country.  Let 
this  same  spirit  prevail  in  time  of  peace  and  set  reasonable 
limits  to  the  pursuit  of  pleasure.  With  the  tendency  to 
excess  and  the  craving  for  excitement,  there  comes  a  will¬ 
ingness  to  encourage  in  social  intercourse  abuses  that  would 
not  be  tolerated  in  the  privacy  of  home.  For  the  sake  of 
notoriety,  the  prescriptions  of  plain  decency  are  often  set 
aside,  and  even  the  slight  restraints  of  convention  are  dis- 


316  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

regarded.  Fondness  for  display  leads  to  lavish  expend¬ 
iture,  which  arouses  the  envy  of  the  less  fortunate  classes, 
spurs  them  to  a  foolish  imitation,  and  eventually  brings 
about  conflict  between  the  rich  and  the  poor. 

Though  many  of  these  abuses  are  of  short  duration, 
their  effect  is  none  the  less  harmful :  they  impair  the  moral 
fiber  of  our  people  and  render  them  unfit  for  liberty.  The 
plainest  lessons  of  history  show  that  absorption  in  pleasure 
is  fatal  to  free  institutions.  Nations  which  had  conquered 
the  world  were  unable  to  prevent  their  own  ruin,  once  cor¬ 
ruption  had  sapped  their  vitality.  Our  country  has  trium¬ 
phed  in  its  struggle  beyond  the  sea;  let  it  beware  of  the 
enemy  lurking  within. 

There  should  be  no  need  of  legal  enactments  to  improve 
our  social  relations,  and  there  will  be  none,  if  only  we  act 
on  the  principle  that  each  of  us  is  in  duty  bound  to  set 
good  example.  Society  no  less  than  its  individual  members, 
is  subject  to  God’s  law.  Neither  convention  nor  fashion 
can  justify  sin.  And  if  we  are  prompt  to  remove  the  causes 
of  bodily  disease,  we  must  be  just  as  energetic  in  banishing 
moral  contagion. 

“Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth:  but  if  the  salt  lose  its 
savour,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted?”80  Let  Catholics  in 
particular  reflect  on  this  saying,  and  keep  it  before  their 
minds  under  all  circumstances,  whether  at  home  or  abroad. 
Each  in  his  own  social  sphere  has  a  mission  to  perform, 
sometimes  by  explaining  or  defending  the  faith,  sometimes 
by  condemning  what  is  wrong,  but  always  by  doing  what  is 
right.  It  is  the  eloquence  of  deeds  that  convinces  where 
words  are  of  no  avail.  The  light  is  silent.  “So  let  your  light 
shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works  and 
glorify  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven.”81 

In  society  as  in  the  home,  the  influence  of  woman  is 
potent.  She  rules  with  the  power  of  gentleness,  and,  where 

men  are  chivalrous,  her  will  is  the  social 
Woman’s  law.  To  use  this  power  and  fashion  this 
Influence.  law  in  such  wise  that  the  world  may  be 
better  because  of  her  presence,  is  a  worthy 
ambition.  But  it  will  not  be  achieved  by  devices  that  arouse 


so  Matt.  v.  13. 


8i  Matt.  v.  16. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


317 


the  coarser  instincts  and  gratify  vanity  at  the  expense  of 
decency.  There  will  be  less  ground  to  complain  of  the 
wrong  inflicted  on  women,  when  women  themselves  main¬ 
tain  their  true  dignity.  “Favor  is  deceitful  and  beauty  is 
vain;  the  woman  that  feareth  the  Lord,  she  shall 
be  praised.” 82 

The  present  tendency  in  all  civilized  countries  is  to  give 
woman  a  larger  share  in  pursuits  and  occupations  that 
formerly  were  reserved  to  men.  The  sphere  of  her  activity 
is  no  longer  confined  to  the  home  or  to  her  social  environ¬ 
ment;  it  includes  the  learned  professions,  the  field  of  in¬ 
dustry  and  the  forum  of  political  life.  Her  ability  to  meet 
the  hardest  of  human  conditions  has  been  tested  by  the 
experience  of  war;  and  the  world  pays  tribute,  rightfully, 
to  her  patriotic  spirit,  her  courage  and  her  power  of  restor¬ 
ing  what  the  havoc  of  war  had  well-nigh  destroyed. 

Those  same  qualities  are  now  to  undergo  a  different 
sort  of  trial;  for  woman  by  engaging  in  public  affairs,  ac¬ 
cepts,  with  equal  rights,  an  equal  responsibility.  So  far  as 
she  may  purify  and  elevate  our  political  life,  her  use  of  the 
franchise  will  prove  an  advantage;  and  this  will  be  greater 
if  it  involve  no  loss  of  the  qualities  in  which  woman  excels. 
Such  a  loss  would  deprive  her  of  the  influence  which  she 
wields  in  the  home,  and  eventually  defeat  the  very  purpose 
for  which  she  has  entered  the  public  arena.  The  evils  that 
result  from  wrong  political  practice  must  surely  arouse  ap¬ 
prehension,  but  what  we  have  chiefly  to  fear  is  the  growth 
of  division  that  tends  to  breed  hatred.  The  remedy  fbr  this 
lies  not  in  the  struggle  of  parties,  but  in  the  diffusion  of 
good  will.  To  reach  the  hearts  of  men  and  take  away  their 
bitterness,  that  they  may  live  henceforth  in  fellowship  one 
with  another — this  is  woman’s  vocation  in  respect  of  public 
affairs,  and  the  service  which  she  by  nature  is  best  fitted 
to  render. 

X.  Industrial  Relations 

In  1891,  Pope  Leo  XIII  published  his  Encyclical  Rerum 
Novarum,  a  document  which  shows  the  insight  of  that  great 
Pontiff  into  the  industrial  conditions  of  the  time,  and  his 
wisdom  in  pointing  out  the  principles  needed  for  the  solv- 

82  Proverbs  xxxl.  30. 


318  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

ing  of  economic  problems.  “That  the  spirit  of  revolutionary 
change  which  has  long  been  disturbing  the  nations  of  the 
world,  should  have  passed  beyond  the  sphere  of  politics 
and  made  its  influence  felt  in  the  cognate  sphere  of  prac¬ 
tical  economics,  is  not  surprising.  The  elements  of  the  con¬ 
flict  now  raging  are  unmistakable,  in  the  vast  expansion  of 
industrial  pursuits  and  the  marvelous  discoveries  of 
science;  in  the  changed  relations  between  masters  and  work¬ 
men;  in  the  enormous  fortunes  of  some  few  individuals, 
and  the  utter  poverty  of  the  masses;  in  the  increased  self- 
reliance  and  closer  mutual  combination  of  the  working 
classes;  as  also,  finally,  in  the  prevailing  moral  degeneracy. 
The  momentous  gravity  of  the  state  of  things  now  obtaining 
fills  every  mind  with  painful  apprehension;  wise  men  are 
discussing  it;  practical  men  are  proposing  schemes;  pop¬ 
ular  meetings,  legislatures  and  rulers  of  nations  are  all 
busied  with  it — and  actually  there  is  no  question  that  has 
taken  a  deeper  hold  on  the  public  mind.” 

How  fully  these  statements  apply  to  our  present  situa¬ 
tion,  must  be  clear  to  all  who  have  noted  the  course  of  events 
during  the  year  just  elapsed.  The  War  indeed  has  sharp¬ 
ened  the  issues  and  intensified  the  conflict  that  rages  in  the 
world  of  industry;  but  the  elements,  the  parties  and  their 
respective  attitudes  are  practically  unchanged.  Unchanged 
also  are  the  principles  which  must  be  applied,  if  order  is  to 
he  restored  and  placed  on  such  a  permanent  basis  that  our 
people  may  continue  their  peaceful  pursuits  without  dread 
of  further  disturbance.  So  far  as  men  are  willing  to  accept 
those  principles  as  the  common  ground  on  which  all  parties 
may  meet  and  adjust  their  several  claims,  there  is  hope  of 
a  settlement  without  the  more  radical  measures  which  the 
situation  seemed  but  lately  to  be  forcing  on  public  author¬ 
ity.  But  in  any  event,  the  agitation  of  the  last  few  months 
should  convince  us  that  something  more  is  needed  than 
temporary  arrangements  or  local  readjustments.  The  at¬ 
mosphere  must  be  cleared  so  that,  however  great  the  dif¬ 
ficulties  which  presently  block  the  way,  men  of  good  will 
may  not,  through  erroneous  preconceptions,  go  stumbling 
on  from  one  detail  to  another,  thus  adding  confusion  to 
darkness  of  counsel. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


319 


“It  is  the  opinion  of  some,”  says  Pope  Leo  XIII,  “and 
the  error  is  already  very  common,  that  the  social  question  is 
merely  an  economic  one,  whereas  in  point 
of  fact,  it  is  first  of  all  a  moral  and  religious  Nature  of 
matter,  and  for  that  reason  its  settlement  is  the  Question, 
to  be  sought  mainly  in  the  moral  law  and  the 
pronouncements  of  religion.” 83  These  words  are  as  per¬ 
tinent  and  their  teaching  as  necessary  today  as  they  were 
nineteen  years  ago.  Their  meaning,  substantially,  has  been 
reaffirmed  by  Pope  Benedict  XV  in  his  recent  statement  that 
“without  justice  and  charity  there  will  be  no  social 
progress.”  The  fact  that  men  are  striving  for  what  they 
consider  to  be  their  rights,  puts  their  dispute  on  a  moral 
basis;  and  wherever  justice  may  lie,  whichever  of  the  op¬ 
posing  claims  may  have  the  better  foundation,  it  is  justice 
that  all  demand. 

In  the  prosecution  of  their  respective  claims,  the  parties 
have,  apparently,  disregarded  the  fact  that  the  people  as  a 
whole  have  a  prior  claim.  The  great  number  of  unneces¬ 
sary  strikes  which  have  occurred  within  the  last  few 
months,  is  evidence  that  justice  has  been  widely  violated  as 
regards  the  rights  and  needs  of  the  public.  To  assume  that 
the  only  rights  involved  in  an  industrial  dispute  are  those 
of  capital  and  labor,  is  a  radical  error.  It  leads,  practically, 
to  the  conclusion  that  at  any  time  and  for  an  indefinite 
period,  even  the  most  necessary  products  can  be  withheld 
from  general  use  until  the  controversy  is  settled.  In  fact, 
while  it  lasts,  millions  of  persons  are  compelled  to  suffer 
hardship  for  want  of  goods  and  services  which  they  re¬ 
quire  for  reasonable  living.  The  first  step,  therefore,  to¬ 
ward  correcting  the  evil  is  to  insist  that  the  rights  of  the 
community  shall  prevail,  and  that  no  individual  claim  con¬ 
flicting  with  those  rights  shall  be  valid. 

Among  those  rights  is  that  which  entitles  the  people  to 
order  and  tranquillity  as  the  necessary  conditions  for  social 
existence.  Industrial  disturbance  invariably  spreads  be¬ 
yond  the  sphere  in  which  it  originates,  and  interferes,  more 
or  less  seriously,  with  other  occupations.  The  whole  eco¬ 
nomic  system  is  so  compacted  together  and  its  parts  are 

83  Apostolic  Letter,  Graves  de  communi,  January  18,  1901. 


320  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

so  dependent  one  upon  the  other,  that  the  failure  of  a  single 
element,  especially  if  this  be  of  vital  importance,  must  af¬ 
fect  all  the  rest.  The  disorder  which  ensues  is  an  injustice 
inflicted  upon  the  community;  and  the  wrong  is  the  greater 
because,  usually,  there  is  no  redress.  Those  who  are  re¬ 
sponsible  for  it  pursue  their  own  ends  without  regard  for 
moral  consequences  and,  in  some  cases,  with  no  concern 
for  the  provisions  of  law.  When  such  a  temper  asserts  it¬ 
self,  indigation  is  aroused  throughout  the  country  and  the 
authorities  are  urged  to  take  action.  This,  under  given 
circumstances,  may  be  the  only  possible  course;  but,  as  ex¬ 
perience  shows,  it  does  not  eradicate  the  evil.  A  further 
diagnosis  is  needed.  The  causes  of  industrial  trouble  are 
generally  known,  as  are  also  the  various  phases  through 
which  it  develops  and  the  positions  which  the  several  par¬ 
ties  assume.  The  more  serious  problem  is  to  ascertain  why, 
in  such  conditions,  men  fail  to  see  their  obligations  to  one 
another  and  to  the  public,  or  seeing  them,  refuse  to  fulfil 
them  except  under  threat  and  compulsion. 

“The  great  mistake  in  regard  to  the  matter  now  under 
consideration  is  to  take  up  with  the  notion  that  class  is 

naturally  hostile  to  class,  and  that  the 
Mutual  wealthy  and  the  workingmen  are  intended 

Obligations.  by  nature  to  live  in  mutual  conflict.” 84  On 

the  contrary,  as  Pope  Leo  adds,  “each 
needs  the  other:  Capital  cannot  do  without  Labor,  nor 
Labor  without  Capital.  Religion  is  a  powerful  agency  in 
drawing  the  rich  and  the  bread-winner  together,  by  remind¬ 
ing  each  class  of  its  duties  to  the  other  and  especially  of  the 
obligation  of  justice.  Religion  teaches  the  laboring  man 
and  the  artisan  to  carry  out  honestly  and  fairly  all  equitable 
agreements  freely  arranged,  to  refrain  from  injuring  per¬ 
son  or  property,  from  using  violence  and  creating  disorder. 
It  teaches  the  owner  and  employer  that  the  laborer  is  not 
their  bondsman,  that  in  every  man  they  must  respect  his 
dignity  and  worth  as  a  man  and  as  a  Christian;  that  labor  is 
not  a  thing  to  be  ashamed  of,  if  we  listen  to  right  reason  and 
to  Christian  philosophy;  but  is  an  honorable  calling,  en¬ 
abling  a  man  to  sustain  his  life  in  a  way  upright  and  cred- 


84  Rerum  Novarum. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  191& 


321 


itable;  and  that  it  is  shameful  and  inhuman  to  treat  men  like 
chattels,  as  means  for  making  money,  or  as  machines  for 
grinding  out  work.”  The  moral  value  of  man  and  the  dig¬ 
nity  of  human  labor  are  cardinal  points  in  this  whole  ques¬ 
tion.  Let  them  be  the  directive  principles  in  industry,  and 
they  will  go  far  toward  preventing  disputes.  By  treating 
the  laborer  first  of  all  as  a  man,  the  employer  will  make  him 
a  better  workingman;  by  respecting  his  own  moral  dignity 
as  a  man,  the  laborer  will  compel  the  respect  of  his  employer 
and  of  the  community. 

The  settlement  of  our  industrial  problems  would  offer 
less  difficulty  if,  while  upholding  its  rights,  each  party  were 
disposed  to  meet  the  other  in  a  friendly  spirit.  The  strict 
requirements  of  justice  can  he  fulfilled  without  creating 
animosity;  in  fact,  where  this  arises,  it  is  apt  to  obscure  the 
whole  issue.  On  the  contrary,  a  manifest  desire  to  win  over, 
rather  than  drive,  the  opponent  to  the  acceptance  of  equi¬ 
table  terms,  would  facilitate  the  recognition  of  claims  which 
are  founded  in  justice.  The  evidence  of  such  a  disposition 
would  break  down  the  barriers  of  mistrust  and  set  up  in 
their  stead  the  bond  of  good  will.  Not  an  armistice  but  a 
conciliation  would  result;  and  this  would  establish  all  par¬ 
ties  in  the  exercise  of  their  rights  and  the  cheerful  per¬ 
formance  of  their  duties. 

The  right  of  labor  to  organize,  and  the  great  benefit  to  be 
derived  from  workingmen’s  associations,  were  plainly  set 
forth  by  Pope  Leo  XIII.  In  this  connection, 
we  would  call  attention  to  two  rights,  one  Respective 
of  employes  and  the  other  of  employers,  Rights, 
the  violation  of  which  contributes  largely 
to  the  existing  unrest  and  suffering.  The  first  is  the  right  of 
the  workers  to  form  and  maintain  the  kind  of  organization 
that  is  necessary  and  that  will  be  most  effectual  in  securing 
their  welfare.  The  second  is  the  right  of  employers  to  the 
faithful  observance  by  the  labor  unions  of  all  contracts  and 
agreements.  The  unreasonableness  of  denying  either  of 
these  rights  is  too  obvious  to  require  proof  or  explanation. 

A  dispute  that  cannot  be  adjusted  by  direct  negotiation 
between  the  parties  concerned  should  always  be  submitted 
to  arbitration.  Neither  employer  nor  employe  may  reason- 


322  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

ably  reject  this  method  on  the  ground  that  it  does  not  bring 
about  perfect  justice.  No  human  institution  is  perfect  or 
infallible;  even  our  courts  of  law  are  sometimes  in  error. 
Like  the  law  court,  the  tribunal  of  industrial  arbitration 
provides  the  nearest  approach  to  justice  that  is  practically 
attainable;  for  the  only  alternative  is  economic  force,  and 
its  decisions  have  no  necessary  relation  to  the  decrees  of 
justice.  They  show  which  party  is  economically  stronger, 
not  which  is  in  the  right. 

The  right  of  labor  to  a  living  wage,  authoritatively  and 
eloquently  reasserted  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago 
by  Pope  Leo  XIII,  is  happily  no  longer  denied  by  any  con¬ 
siderable  number  of  persons.  What  is  principally  needed 
now  is  that  its  content  should  be  adequately  defined,  and 
that  it  should  be  made  universal  in  practice,  through  what¬ 
ever  means  will  be  at  once  legitimate  and  effective.  In 
particular,  it  is  to  be  kept  in  mind  that  a  living  wage  in¬ 
cludes  not  merely  decent  maintenance  for  the  present,  but 
also  a  reasonable  provision  for  such  future  needs  as  sick¬ 
ness,  invalidity  and  old  age.  Capital  likewise  has  its  rights. 
Among  them  is  the  right  to  “a  fair  day’s  work  for  a  fair 
day’s  pay,”  and  the  right  to  returns  which  will  be  sufficient 
to  stimulate  thrift,  saving,  initiative,  enterprise,  and  all 
those  directive  and  productive  energies  which  promote 
social  welfare. 

In  his  pronouncement  on  Labor,85  Pope  Leo  XIII  de¬ 
scribes  the  advantages  to  be  derived  by  both  employer  and 

*  (employe  from  “associations  and  organiza- 
Benefits  of  tions  which  draw  the  two  classes  more 
Association.  closely  together.”  Such  associations  are 

especially  needed  at  the  present  time. 
While  the  labor  union  or  trade  union  has  been,  and  still 
is,  necessary  in  the  struggle  of  the  workers  for  fair  wages 
and  fair  conditions  of  employment,  we  have  to  recognize 
that  its  history,  methods  and  objects  have  made  it  essen¬ 
tially  a  militant  organization.  The  time  seems  now  to  have 
arrived  when  it  should  be,  not  supplanted,  but  supple¬ 
mented  by  associations  or  conferences,  composed  jointly  of 
employers  and  employes,  which  will  place  emphasis  upon 


85  Rerum  Novarum. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


323 


the  common  interests  rather  than  the  divergent  aims  of  the 
two  parties,  upon  cooperation  rather  than  conflict. 
Through  such  arrangements,  all  classes  would  be  greatly 
benefited.  The  worker  would  participate  in  those  matters 
of  industrial  management  which  directly  concern  him  and 
about  which  he  possesses  helpful  knowledge;  he  would  ac¬ 
quire  an  increased  sense  of  personal  dignity  and  personal 
responsibility,  take  greater  interest  and  pride  in  his  work, 
and  become  more  efficient  and  more  contented.  The  em¬ 
ployer  would  have  the  benefit  of  willing  cooperation  from, 
and  harmonious  relations  with,  his  employes.  The  con¬ 
sumer,  in  common  with  employer  and  employe,  would  share 
in  the  advantages  of  larger  and  steadier  production.  In  a 
word,  industry  would  be  carried  on  as  a  cooperative  en¬ 
terprise  for  the  common  good,  and  not  as  a  contest  between 
two  parties  for  a  restricted  product. 

Deploring  the  social  changes  which  have  divided 
“society  into  two  widely  different  castes,”  of  which  one 
“holds  power  because  it  holds  wealth,”  while  the  other  is 
“the  needy  and  powerless  multitude,”  Pope  Leo  XIII  de¬ 
clared  that  the  remedy  is  “to  induce  as  many  as  possible  of 
the  humbler  classes  to  become  owners.” 86  This  recommen¬ 
dation  is  in  exact  accord  with  the  traditional  teaching  and 
practice  of  the  Church.  When  her  social  influence  was 
greatest,  in  the  later  Middle  Ages,  the  prevailing  economic 
system  was  such  that  the  workers  were  gradually  obtaining 
a  larger  share  in  the  ownership  of  the  lands  upon  which, 
and  the  tools  with  which,  they  labored.  Though  the  eco¬ 
nomic  arrangements  of  that  time  cannot  be  restored,  the 
underlying  principle  is  of  permanent  application,  and  is  the 
only  one  that  will  give  stability  to  industrial  society.  It 
should  be  applied  to  our  present  system  as  rapidly  as  con¬ 
ditions  will  permit. 

Whatever  may  be  the  industrial  and  social  remedies 
which  will  approve  themselves  to  the  American  people, 
there  is  one  that,  we  feel  confident,  they  will  never  adopt. 
That  is  the  method  of  revolution.  For  it  there  is  neither 
justification  nor  excuse  under  our  form  of  government. 
Through  the  ordinary  and  orderly  processes  of  education, 


86  Rerum  Novarum. 


324  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

organization  and  legislation,  all  social  wrongs  can  be 
righted.  While  these  processes  may  at  times  seem  dis¬ 
tressingly  slow,  they  will  achieve  more  in  the  final  result 
than  violence  or  revolution.  The  radicalism,  and  worse 
than  radicalism,  of  the  labor  movement  in  some  of  the  coun¬ 
tries  of  Europe,  has  no  lesson  for  the  workers  of  the  United 
States,  except  as  an  example  of  methods  to  be  detested  and 
avoided. 

Pope  Benedict  has  recently  expressed  a  desire  that  the 
people  should  study  the  great  encyclicals  on  the  social  ques¬ 
tion  of  his  predecessor,  Leo  XIII.  We  heartily  commend 
this  advice  to  the  faithful  and,  indeed,  to  all  the  people  of 
the  United  States.  They  will  find  in  these  documents  the 
practical  wisdom  which  the  experience  of  centuries  has 
stored  up  in  the  Holy  See  and,  moreover,  that  solicitude 
for  the  welfare  of  mankind  which  fitly  characterizes  the 
Head  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

XI.  National  Conditions 

Our  country  had  its  origin  in  a  struggle  for  liberty.  Once 
established  as  an  independent  Republic,  it  became  the  ref¬ 
uge  of  those  who  preferred  freedom  in  America  to  the 
conditions  prevailing  in  their  native  lands.  Differing  widely 
in  culture,  belief  and  capacity  for  self-government,  they 
had  as  their  common  characteristics  the  desire  for  liberty 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  Within  a  century,  those 
diverse  elements  had  been  formed  together  into  a  nation, 
powerful,  prosperous  and  contented.  As  they  advanced  in 
fortune,  they  broadened  in  generosity;  and  today,  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  those  early  refugees  are  restoring  the  breath  of 
life  to  the  peoples  of  Europe. 

These  facts  naturally  inspire  us  with  an  honest  pride  in 
our  country,  with  loyalty  to  our  free  institutions  and  con¬ 
fidence  in  our  future.  They  should  also  inspire  us  with 
gratitude  to  the  Giver  of  all  good  gifts  who  has  dealt  so 
favorabty  with  our  nation:  “He  hath  not  done  in  like 
manner  to  every  nation.” 87  Our  forefathers  realized  this, 
and  accordingly  there  is  evident  in  the  foundation  of  the 
Republic  and  its  first  institutions,  a  deep  religious  spirit. 


87  Ps.  cxlvii. 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


325 


It  pervades  the  home,  establishes  seats  of  learning,  guides 
the  deliberation  of  law-making  bodies.  Its  beneficent  re¬ 
sults  are  our  inheritance;  but  to  enjoy  this  and  transmit  it 
in  its  fulness  to  posterity,  we  must  preserve  in  the  hearts  of 
the  people  the  spirit  of  reverence  for  God  and  His  law, 
which  animated  the  founders  of  our  nation.  Without  that 
spirit,  there  is  no  true  patriotism;  for  whoever  sincerely 
loves  his  country,  must  love  it  for  the  things  that  make  it 
worthy  of  the  blessings  it  has  received  and  of  those  for 
which  it  may  hope  through  God’s  dispensation. 

We  are  convinced  that  our  Catholic!  people  and  all 
our  citizens  will  display  an  equally  patriotic  spirit  in  ap¬ 
proaching  the  tasks  which  now  confront  us.  The  tasks  of 
peace,  though  less  spectacular  in  their  accomplishment  than 
those  of  war,  are  not  less  important  and  surely  not  less 
difficult.  They  call  for  wise  deliberation,  for  self-restraint, 
for  promptness  in  emergency  and  energy  in  action.  They 
demand,  especially,  that  our  people  should  rise  above  all 
minor  considerations  and  unite  their  endeavors  for  the  good 
of  the  country.  At  no  period  in  our  history,  not  even  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  war,  has  the  need  of  unity  been  more  im¬ 
perative.  There  should  be  neither  time  nor  place  for  sec¬ 
tional  division,  for  racial  hatred,  for  strife  among  classes, 
for  purely  partisan  conflict  imperilling  the  country’s  wel¬ 
fare.  There  should  be  no  toleration  for  movements,  agen¬ 
cies  or  schemes  that  aim  at  fomenting  discord  on  the 
ground  of  religious  belief.  All  such  attempts,  whatever  their 
disguise  or  pretext,  are  inimical  to  the  life  of  our  nation. 
Their  ultimate  purpose  is  to  bring  discredit  upon  religion, 
and  to  eliminate  its  influence  as  a  factor  in  shaping  the 
thought  or  the  conduct  of  our  people.  We  believe  that  in¬ 
telligent  Americans  will  understand  how  foreign  to  our 
ideas  of  freedom  and  how  dangerous  to  freedom  itself,  are 
those  designs  which  would  not  only  invade  the  rights  of 
conscience  but  would  make  the  breeding  of  hatred  a  con¬ 
scientious  duty. 

Such  movements  are  the  more  deplorable  because  they 
divert  attention  from  matters  of  public  import  that  really 
call  for  improvement,  and  from  problems  whose  solution 
requires  the  earnest  cooperation  of  all  our  citizens.  There  is 


326  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

much  to  be  done  in  behalf  of  those  who,  like  our  forefathers, 
come  from  other  countries  to  find  a  home  in  America. 

They  need  an  education  that  will  enable 
Care  for  them  to  understand  our  system  of  govern- 
Immigrants.  ment  and  will  prepare  them  for  the  duties 

of  citizenship.  They  need  warning  against 
the  contagion  of  influences  whose  evil  results  are  giving  us 
grave  concern.  But  what  they  chiefly  need  is  that  Chris¬ 
tian  sympathy  which  considers  in  them  the  possibilities  for 
good  rather  than  the  present  defects,  and  instead  of  looking 
upon  them  with  distrust,  extends  them  the  hand  of  charity. 
Since  many  of  their  failings  are  the  consequence  of  treat¬ 
ment  from  which  they  suffered  in  their  homelands,  our  atti¬ 
tude  and  action  toward  them  should,  for  that  reason,  be  all 
the  more  sympathetic  and  helpful. 

The  constant  addition  of  new  elements  to  our  population 
obliges  us  to  greater  vigilance  with  regard  to  our  internal 

affairs.  The  power  of  assimilation  is  pro- 
Clean  portioned  to  the  soundness  of  the  organ- 

Politics.  ism;  and  as  the  most  wholesome  nutri¬ 

ment  may  prove  injurious  in  case  of  func¬ 
tional  disorder,  so  will  the  influx  from  other  countries  be 
harmful  to  our  national  life,  unless  this  be  maintained  in 
full  vigor.  While,  then,  we  are  solicitous  that  those  who 
seek  American  citizenship  should  possess  or  speedily  at¬ 
tain  the  necessary  qualifications,  it  behooves  us  to  see  that 
our  political  system  is  healthy.  In  its  primary  meaning, 
politics  has  for  its  aim  the  administration  of  government  in 
accordance  with  the  express  will  of  the  people  and  for 
their  best  interests.  This  can  be  accomplished  by  the  adop¬ 
tion  of  right  principles,  the  choice  of  worthy  candidates  for 
office,  the  direction  of  partisan  effort  toward  the  nation’s 
true  welfare  and  the  purity  of  election;  but  not  by  dis¬ 
honesty.  The  idea  that  politics  is  exempt  from  the  require¬ 
ments  of  morality,  is  both  false  and  pernicious:  it  is  prac¬ 
tically  equivalent  to  the  notion  that  in  government  there  is 
neither  right  nor  wrong,  and  that  the  will  of  the  people  is 
simply  an  instrument  to  be  used  for  private  advantage. 

The  expression  or  application  of  such  views  accounts 
for  the  tendency,  on  the  part  of  many  of  our  citizens,  to  hold 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


327 


aloof  from  politics.  But  their  abstention  will  not  effect  the 
needed  reform,  nor  will  it  arouse  from  their  apathy  the 
still  larger  number  who  are  so  intent  upon  their  own  pur¬ 
suits  that  they  have  no  inclination  for  political  duties.  Each 
citizen  should  devote  a  reasonable  amount  of  time  and 
energy  to  the  maintenance  of  right  government  by  the  ex¬ 
ercise  of  his  political  rights  and  privileges.  He  should 
understand  the  issues  that  are  brought  before  the  people, 
and  cooperate  with  his  fellow-citizens  in  securing,  by  all 
legitimate  means,  the  wisest  possible  solution. 

In  a  special  degree,  the  sense  and  performance  of  duty 
is  required  of  those  who  are  entrusted  with  public  office. 
They  are  at  once  the  servants  of  the  people 
and  the  bearers  of  an  authority  whose  Public  Office 
original  source  is  none  other  than  God.  and 

Integrity  on  their  part,  shown  by  their  im-  Legislation, 
partial  treatment  of  all  persons  and  ques¬ 
tions,  by  their  righteous  administration  of  public  funds  and 
by  their  strict  observance  of  law,  is  a  vital  element  in  the 
life  of  the  nation.  It  is  the  first  and  most  effectual  remedy 
for  the  countless  ills  which  invade  the  body  politic  and, 
slowly  festering,  end  in  sudden  collapse.  But  to  apply  the 
remedy  with  hope  of  success,  those  who  are  charged  with 
the  care  of  public  affairs,  should  think  less  of  the  honor 
conferred  upon  them  than  of  the  great  responsibility.  For 
the  public  official  above  all  others,  there  is  need  to  remem¬ 
ber  the  day  of  accounting,  here,  perhaps,  at  the  bar  of  hu¬ 
man  opinion,  but  surely  hereafter  at  the  judgment  seat  of 
Him  whose  sentence  is  absolute:  “Give  an  account  of  thy 
stewardship.” 88 

The  conduct  of  one’s  own  life  is  a  serious  and  often  a 
difficult  task.  But  to  establish,  by  the  use  of  authority,  the 
order  of  living  for  the  whole  people,  is  a  function  that  de¬ 
mands  the  clearest  perception  of  right  and  the  utmost  fidel¬ 
ity  to  the  principles  of  justice.  If  the  good  of  the  country 
is  the  one  true  object  of  all  political  power,  this  is  pre¬ 
eminently  true  of  the  legislative  power.  Since  law,  as  the 
means  of  protecting  right  and  preserving  order,  is  essential 
to  the  life  of  the  State,  justice  must  inspire  legislation,  and 

g8  Luke  xyi.  2, 


328  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

concern  for  the  public  weal  must  furnish  the  single  motive 
for  enactment.  The  passing  of  an  unjust  law  is  the  suicide 
of  authority. 

The  efficacy  of  legislation  depends  on  the  wisdom  of 
laws,  not  on  their  number.  Fewer  enactments,  with  more 
prudent  consideration  of  each  and  more  vigorous  execu¬ 
tion  of  all,  would  go  far  towards  bettering  our  national 
conditions.  But  when  justice  itself  is  buried  under  a  multi¬ 
plicity  of  statutes,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  people  grow 
slack  in  observance  and  eventually  cease  to  respect  the 
authority  back  of  the  laws.  Their  tendency  then  is  to 
assume  the  function  which  rightly  belongs  to  public  execu¬ 
tive  power,  and  this  they  are  more  likely  to  do  when  aroused 
by  the  commission  of  crimes  which,  in  their  opinion,  de¬ 
mand  swift  retribution  instead  of  the  slow  and  uncertain 
results  of  legal  procedure.  The  summary  punishment 
visited  on  certain  offenses  by  those  who  take  the  law  into 
their  own  hands,  may  seem  to  be  what  the  criminal  de¬ 
serves;  in  reality,  it  is  a  usurpation  of  power  and  therefore 
an  attack  upon  the  vital  principle  of  public  order.  The 
tardiness  of  justice  is  surely  an  evil,  but  it  will  not  be  re¬ 
moved  by  added  violations  of  justice,  in  which  passion  too 
often  prevails  and  leads  to  practices  unworthy  of  a  civil¬ 
ized  nation. 

For  the  removal  of  evil  and  the  furtherance  of  good  in 
the  social  and  political  spheres,  an  enlightened  public  opin¬ 
ion  is  requisite.  The  verdict  rendered  by 
The  Press.  the  people  must  express  their  own  judg¬ 
ement,  but  this  cannot  be  safely  formed 
without  a  knowledge  of  facts  and  an  appreciation  of  the 
questions  on  which  they  have  to  decide.  As  the  needed  in¬ 
formation  ordinarily  is  supplied  by  the  Press,  it  is  at  once 
obvious  that  the  publicist  has  a  large  measure  both  of  in¬ 
fluence  and  of  responsibility.  He  speaks  to  the  whole  pub¬ 
lic,  and  often  with  an  authority  that  carries  conviction. 
In  a  very  real  sense  he  is  a  teacher,  with  the  largest  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  instruct,  to  criticize,  to  fashion  opinions  and  to 
direct  movements.  When  the  use  of  this  great  power  is 
guided  by  loyalty  to  truth,  to  moral  principle  and  patriotic 
duty,  the  Press  is  an  agency  for  good  second  only  to  public 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


329 


authority.  When  through  its  influence  and  example,  the 
people  are  led  to  respect  law,  to  observe  the  precept  of 
charity,  to  detest  scandal  and  condemn  wrong-doing,  they 
may  well  regard  the  Press  as  a  safeguard  of  their  homes 
and  a  source  of  purity  in  their  social  and  political  relations. 
From  it  they  will  learn  whatsoever  things  are  just  and  pure, 
whatsoever  are  lovely  and  of  good  report.  But  no  man 
has  a  right  to  scatter  germs  of  moral  corruption  any  more 
than  he  has  to  pollute  the  water  supply  of  a  city.  The  Press 
which  condemns  the  one  as  a  criminal  deed,  cannot  lend 
countenance,  much  less  cooperation,  to  the  other. 

XII.  International  Relations 

Though  men  are  divided  into  various  nationalities  by 
reason  of  geographical  position  or  historical  vicissitude, 
the  progress  of  civilization  facilitates  intercourse  and,  nor¬ 
mally,  brings  about  the  exchange  of  good  offices  between 
people  and  people.  War,  for  a  time,  suspends  these  friendly 
relations;  but  eventually  it  serves  to  focus  attention  upon 
them  and  to  emphasize  the  need  of  readjustment.  Having 
shared  in  the  recent  conflict,  our  country  is  now  engaged 
with  international  problems  and  with  the  solution  of  these 
on  a  sound  and  permanent  basis.  Such  a  solution,  how¬ 
ever,  can  be  reached  only  through  the  acceptance  and  ap¬ 
plication  of  moral  principles.  Without  these,  no  form  of 
agreement  will  avail  to  establish  and  maintain  the  order 
of  the  world. 

Since  God  is  the  Ruler  of  nations  no  less  than  of  in¬ 
dividuals,  His  law  is  supreme  over  the  external  relations  of 
states  as  well  as  in  the  internal  affairs  of  each.  The  sov¬ 
ereignty  that  makes  a  nation  independent  of  other  nations, 
does  not  exempt  it  from  its  obligations  toward  God;  nor 
can  any  covenant,  however  shrewdly  arranged,  guarantee 
peace  and  security,  if  it  disregard  the  divine  commands. 
These  require  that  in  their  dealings  with  one  another,  na¬ 
tions  shall  observe  both  justice  and  charity.  By  the  for¬ 
mer,  each  nation  is  bound  to  respect  the  existence,  integrity 
and  rights  of  all  other  nations;  by  the  latter,  it  is  obliged 
to  assist  other  nations  with  those  acts  of  beneficence  and 
good  will  which  can  he  performed  without  undue  incon- 


330 


The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 


venience  to  itself.  From  these  obligations  a  nation  is  not 
dispensed  by  reason  of  its  superior  civilization,  its  indus¬ 
trial  activity  or  its  commercial  enterprise;  least  of  all,  by 
its  military  power.  On  the  contrary,  a  state  which  pos¬ 
sesses  these  advantages,  is  under  a  greater  responsibility  to 
exert  its  influence  for  the  maintenance  of  justice  and  the 
diffusion  of  goodwill  among  all  peoples.  So  far  as  it  ful¬ 
fils  its  obligation  in  this  respect,  a  state  contributes  its  share 
to  the  peace  of  the  world:  it  disarms  jealousy,  removes  all 
ground  for  suspicion  and  replaces  intrigue  with  frank  co¬ 
operation  for  the  general  welfare. 

The  growth  of  democracy  implies  that  the  people  shall 
have  a  larger  share  in  determining  the  form,  attributions 
and  policies  of  the  government  to  which  they  look  for  the 
preservation  of  order.  It  should  also  imply  that  the  calm 
deliberate  judgment  of  the  people,  rather  than  the  aims  of 
the  ambitious  few,  shall  decide  whether,  in  case  of  inter¬ 
national  disagreement,  war  be  the  only  solution.  Know¬ 
ing  that  the  burdens  of  war  will  fall  most  heavily  on  them, 
the  people  will  be  slower  in  taking  aggressive  measures, 
and,  with  an  adequate  sense  of  what  charity  and  justice  re¬ 
quire,  they  will  refuse  to  be  led  or  driven  into  conflict  by 
false  report  or  specious  argument.  Reluctance  of  this  sort 
is  entirely  consistent  with  firmness  for  right  and  zeal  for  na¬ 
tional  honor.  If  it  were  developed  in  every  people,  it  would 
prove  a  more  effectual  restraint  than  any  craft  of  diplo¬ 
macy  or  economic  prudence.  The  wisest  economy,  in  fact, 
would  be  exercised  by  making  the  principles  of  charity  and 
justice  an  essential  part  of  education.  Instead  of  planning 
destruction,  intelligence  would  then  discover  new  methods 
of  binding  the  nations  together;  and  the  good  will  which 
is  now  doing  so  much  to  relieve  the  distress  produced  by 
war,  would  be  so  strengthened  and  directed  as  to  prevent 
the  recurrence  of  international  strife. 

One  of  the  most  effectual  means  by  which  states  can 
assist  one  another,  is  the  organization  of  international 
peace.  The  need  of  this  is  more  generally  felt  at  the  present 
time  when  the  meaning  of  war  is  so  plainly  before  us.  In 
former  ages  also,  the  nations  realized  the  necessity  of  com¬ 
pacts  and  agreements  whereby  the  peace  of  the  world  would 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


331 


be  secured.  The  success  of  these  organized  efforts  was 
due,  in  large  measure,  to  the  influence  of  the  Church.  The 
position  of  the  Holy  See  and  the  office  of  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff  as  Father  of  Christendom,  were  recognized  by  the 
nations  as  powerful  factors  in  any  undertaking  that  had  for 
its  object  the  welfare  of  all.  A  “Truce  of  God”  was  not  to 
be  thought  of  without  the  Vicar  of  Christ;  and  no  other 
truce  could  be  of  lasting  effect.  The  Popes  have  been  the 
chief  exponents,  both  by  word  and  act,  of  the  principles 
which  must  underlie  any  successful  agreement  of  this  na¬ 
ture.  Again  and  again  they  have  united  the  nations  of  Eur¬ 
ope,  and  history  records  the  great  services  which  they 
rendered  in  the  field  of  international  arbitration  and  in  the 
development  of  international  law. 

The  unbroken  tradition  of  the  Papacy  with  respect  to 
international  peace,  has  been  worthily  continued  to  the 
present  by  Pope  Benedict  XV.  He  not  only  made  all  pos¬ 
sible  efforts  to  bring  the  recent  war  to  an  end,  but  was  also 
one  of  the  first  advocates  of  an  organization  for  the  preser¬ 
vation  of  peace.  In  his  Letter  to  the  American  people  on 
the  last  day  of  the  year,  1918,  the  Holy  Father  expressed 
his  fervent  hope  and  desire  for  an  international  organiza¬ 
tion,  “which  by  abolishing  conscriptions  will  reduce  arma¬ 
ments,  by  establishing  international  tribunals  will  eliminate 
or  settle  disputes,  and  by  placing  peace  on  a  solid  founda¬ 
tion  will  guarantee  to  all  independence  and  equality  of 
rights.”  These  words  reveal  the  heart  of  the  Father  whose 
children  are  found  in  every  nation,  and  who  grieves  at  the 
sight  of  their  fratricidal  struggle.  That  they  were  not  then 
heeded  or  even  rightly  understood,  is  but  another  evidence 
of  the  degree  to  which  the  passions  aroused  by  the  conflict 
had  warped  the  judgment  of  men.  But  this  did  not  prevent 
the  Pontiff  from  intervening  in  behalf  of  those  who  were 
stricken  by  the  fortunes  of  war,  nor  did  it  lessen  his  determi¬ 
nation  to  bring  about  peace.  To  him  and  to  his  humane 
endeavor,  not  Catholics  alone,  but  people  of  all  creeds 
and  nationalities,  are  indebted  for  the  example  of  magna¬ 
nimity  which  he  gave  the  whole  world  during  the  most  fate¬ 
ful  years  of  its  history. 


332  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

XIII.  Education 

The  interests  of  order  and  peace  require  that  our 
domestic,  social  and  national  relations  be  established  on  the 
solid  basis  of  principle.  For  the  attainment  of  this  end, 
much  can  be  done  by  wise  legislation  and  by  organized 
effort  on  the  part  of  associations.  We  are  confident  that 
such  effort  and  enactment  will  hasten  the  desired  result. 
With  their  practical  sense  and  their  love  of  fairness,  the 
American  people  understand  that  our  national  life  cannot 
develop  normally  without  adequate  protection  for  the  rights 
of  all  and  faithful  performance  of  duty  by  every  citizen. 
And  as  they  united  to  secure  freedom  for  other  nations, 
they  now  will  strive  together  to  realize  their  country’s  ideals. 

Once  more,  however,  we  must  emphasize  the  need  of 
laying  a  sure  foundation  in  the  individual  mind  and  con¬ 
science.  Upon  the  integrity  of  each,  upon  his  personal 
observance  of  justice  and  charity,  depends  the  efficacy  of 
legislation  and  of  all  endeavor  for  the  common  good.  Our 
aim,  therefore,  should  be,  not  to  multiply  laws  and  restric¬ 
tions,  but  to  develop  such  a  spirit  as  will  enable  us  to  live  in 
harmony  under  the  simplest  possible  form,  and  only  the 
necessary  amount,  of  external  regulation.  Democracy,  un¬ 
derstood  as  self-government,  implies  that  the  people  as  a 
whole  shall  rule  themselves.  But  if  they  are  to  rule  wisely, 
each  must  begin  by  governing  himself,  by  performing  his 
duty  no  less  than  by  maintaining  his  right. 

Inasmuch  as  permanent  peace  on  a  sound  basis  is  the 
desire  of  all  our  people,  it  is  necessary  to  provide  for  the 

future  by  shaping  the  thought  and  guiding 
Need  the  purpose  of  our  children  and  youth  to- 
of  Sound  ward  a  complete  understanding  and  dis- 

Education.  charge  of  their  duties.  Herein  lies  the  im¬ 
portance  of  education  and  the  respon¬ 
sibility  of  those  to  whom  it  is  entrusted.  Serious  at  all 
times,  the  educational  problem  is  now  graver  and  more 
complex  by  reason  of  the  manifold  demands  that  are  made 
on  the  school,  the  changes  in  our  industrial  conditions,  and 
above  all,  by  reason  of  the  confusion  and  error  which 
obscure  the  purpose  of  life  and  therefore  of  true  education. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  mainly  through  education  that  our 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


333 


country  will  accomplish  its  task  and  perpetuate  its  free 
institutions.  Such  is  the  conviction  that  inspires  much  of 
the  activity  displayed  in  this  field,  whether  hy  individuals 
or  by  organizations.  Their  confidence  is  naturally 
strengthened  by  the  interest  which  is  taken  in  the  school, 
the  enlarged  facilities  for  instruction  and  the  increased 
efficiency  of  educational  work. 

But  these  again  are  so  many  reasons  for  insisting  that 
education  shall  move  in  the  right  direction.  The  more 
thorough  it  becomes,  the  greater  is  its  power  either  for  good 
or  for  evil.  A  trained  intelligence  is  but  a  highly  tempered 
instrument,  whose  use  must  depend  on  the  character  of  its 
possessor.  Of  itself  knowledge  gives  no  guarantee  that  it 
will  issue  in  righteous  action,  and  much  less  that  it  will 
redound  to  the  benefit  of  society.  As  experience  too  plainly 
shows,  culture  of  the  highest  order,  with  abundance  of 
knowledge  at  its  command,  may  be  employed  for  criminal 
ends  and  be  turned  to  the  ruin  of  the  very  institutions  which 
gave  it  support  and  protection.  While,  therefore,  it  is  use¬ 
ful  to  improve  education  by  organizing  the  work  of  the 
schools,  enriching  the  content  of  knowledge  and  refining 
the  methods  of  teaching,  it  is  still  more  necessary  to  insure 
that  all  educational  activity  shall  be  guided  by  sound 
principles  toward  the  attainment  of  its  true  purpose. 

The  Church  in  our  country  is  obliged,  for  the  sake  of 
principle,  to  maintain  a  system  of  education  distinct  and 
separate  from  other  systems.  It  is  sup¬ 
ported  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  Principles 
Catholics  who,  at  the  same  time,  contribute  of  Catholic 
as  required  by  law  to  the  maintenance  of  Education, 
the  public  schools.  It  engages  in  the  service 
of  education  a  body  of  teachers  who  consecrate  their  lives 
to  this  high  calling;  and  it  prepares,  without  expense  to  the 
State,  a  considerable  number  of  Americans  to  live  worthily 
as  citizens  of  the  Republic. 

Our  system  is  based  on  certain  convictions  that  grow 
stronger  as  we  observe  the  testing  of  all  education,  not 
simply  by  calm  theoretic  discussion,  but  by  the  crucial  ex¬ 
perience  of  recent  events.  It  should  not  have  required  the 
pitiless  searching  of  war  to  determine  the  value  of  any 


334  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

theory  or  system,  but  since  that  rude  test  has  been  so  drasti¬ 
cally  applied  and  with  such  unmistakable  results,  we  judge 
it  opportune  to  restate  the  principles  which  serve  as  the 
basis  of  Catholic  education. 

First:  The  right  of  the  child  to  receive  education  and 
the  correlative  duty  of  providing  it,  are  established  on  the 
fact  that  man  has  a  soul  created  by  God  and  endowed  with 
capacities  which  need  to  be  developed  for  the  good  of  the 
individual  and  the  good  of  society.  In  its  highest  meaning 
therefore,  education  is  a  cooperation  by  human  agencies 
with  the  Creator  for  the  attainment  of  His  purpose  in  re¬ 
gard  to  the  individual  who  is  to  be  educated,  and  in  regard 
to  the  social  order  of  which  he  is  a  member.  Neither  self- 
realization  alone  nor  social  service  alone  is  the  end  of 
education,  but  rather  these  two  in  accordance  with  God’s 
design,  which  gives  to  each  of  them  its  proportionate  value. 
Hence  it  follows  that  education  is  essentially  and  inevitably 
a  moral  activity,  in  the  sense  that  it  undertakes  to  satisfy 
certain  claims  through  the  fulfilment  of  certain  obligations. 
This  is  true  independently  of  the  manner  and  means  which 
constitute  the  actual  process;  and  it  remains  true,  whether 
recognized  or  disregarded  in  educational  practice,  whether 
this  practice  include  the  teaching  of  morality,  or  exclude 
it,  or  try  to  maintain  a  neutral  position. 

Second:  Since  the  child  is  endowed  with  physical,  in¬ 
tellectual  and  moral  capacities,  all  these  must  be  developed 
harmoniously.  An  education  that  quickens  the  intelligence 
and  enriches  the  mind  with  knowledge,  but  fails  to  develop 
the  will  and  direct  it  to  the  practice  of  virtue,  may  produce 
scholars,  but  it  cannot  produce  good  men.  The  exclusion 
of  moral  training  from  the  educative  process  is  more  dan¬ 
gerous  in  proportion  to  the  thoroughness  with  which  the 
intellectual  powers  are  developed,  because  it  gives  the  im¬ 
pression  that  morality  is  of  little  importance,  and  thus 
sends  the  pupil  into  life  with  a  false  idea  which  is  not  easily 
corrected. 

Third:  Since  the  duties  we  owe  our  Creator  take  pre¬ 
cedence  of  all  other  duties,  moral  training  must  accord  the 
first  place  to  religion,  that  is,  to  the  knowledge  of  God  and 
His  law,  and  must  cultivate  a  spirit  of  obedience  to  His 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


335 


commands.  The  performance,  sincere  and  complete,  of 
religious  duties,  ensures  the  fulfilment  of  other  obligations. 

Fourth:  Moral  and  religious  training  is  most  efficacious 
when  it  is  joined  with  instruction  in  other  kinds  of  knowl¬ 
edge.  It  should  so  permeate  these  that  its  influence  will 
be  felt  in  every  circumstance  of  life,  and  be  strengthened 
as  the  mind  advances  to  a  fuller  acquaintance  with  nature 
and  a  riper  experience  with  the  realities  of  human  exis¬ 
tence. 

Fifth:  An  education  that  unites  intellectual,  moral  and 
religious  elements,  is  the  best  training  for  citizenship.  It 
inculcates  a  sense  of  responsibility,  a  respect  for  authority 
and  a  considerateness  for  the  rights  of  others,  which  are 
the  necessary  foundations  of  civic  virtue — more  necessary 
where,  as  in  a  democracy,  the  citizen,  enjoying  a  larger 
freedom,  has  a  greater  obligation  to  govern  himself.  We 
are  convinced  that,  as  religion  and  morality  are  essential 
to  right  living  and  to  the  public  welfare,  both  should  be 
included  in  the  work  of  education. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  this  conviction  is  shared 
by  a  considerable  number  of  our  fellow-citizens  who  are 
not  of  the  Catholic  faith.  They  realize  that  the  omission  of 
religious  instruction  is  a  defect  in  education  and  also  a 
detriment  to  religion.  But  in  their  view,  the  home  and  the 
church  should  give  the  needed  training  in  morality  and 
religion,  leaving  the  school  to  provide  only  secular  knowl¬ 
edge.  Experience,  however,  confirms  us  in  the  belief  that 
instead  of  dividing  education  among  these  several  agencies, 
each  of  them  should,  in  its  own  measure,  contribute  to  the 
intellectual,  moral  and  religious  development  of  the  child, 
and  by  this  means  become  helpful  to  all  the  rest. 

In  order  that  the  educative  agencies  may  cooperate  to 
the  best  effect,  it  is  important  to  understand  and  safeguard 
their  respective  functions  and  rights.  The 
office  of  the  Church  instituted  by  Christ  is  The  Right 
to  “teach  all  nations,”  teaching  them  to  to  Educate, 
observe  whatsoever  He  commanded.  This 
commission  authorizes  the  Church  to  teach  the  truths  of 
salvation  to  every  human  being,  whether  adult  or  child, 
rich  or  poor,  private  citizen  or  public  official. 


336  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

In  the  home  with  its  limited  sphere  but  intimate  rela¬ 
tions,  the  parent  has  both  the  right  and  the  duty  to  edu¬ 
cate  his  children;  and  he  has  both,  not  by  any  concession 
from  an  earthly  power,  but  in  virtue  of  a  divine  ordinance. 
Parenthood,  because  it  means  cooperation  with  God’s  de¬ 
sign  for  the  perpetuation  of  human  kind,  involves  respon¬ 
sibility,  and  therefore  implies  a  corresponding  right  to 
prepare  for  complete  living  those  whom  the  parent  brings 
into  the  world. 

The  school  supplements  and  extends  the  educational 
function  of  the  home.  With  its  larger  facilities  and  through 
the  agency  of  teachers  properly  trained  for  the  purpose,  it 
accomplishes  in  a  more  effectual  way  the  task  of  education, 
for  which  the  parent,  as  a  rule,  has  neither  the  time,  the 
means  nor  the  requisite  qualifications.  But  the  school 
cannot  deprive  the  parent  of  his  right  nor  absolve  him  from 
his  duty,  in  the  matter  of  educating  his  children.  It  may 
properly  supply  for  certain  deficiencies  of  the  home  in  the 
way  of  physical  training  and  cultivation  of  manners;  and 
it  must,  by  its  discipline  as  well  as  by  explicit  instruction, 
imbue  its  pupils  with  habits  of  virtue.  But  it  should  not, 
through  any  of  its  administrations,  lead  the  parent  to  be¬ 
lieve  that  having  placed  his  children  in  school,  he  is  freed 
from  responsibility,  nor  should  it  weaken  the  ties  which 
attach  the  child  to  parent  and  home.  On  the  contrary,  the 
school  should  strengthen  the  home  influence  by  develop¬ 
ing  in  the  child  those  traits  of  character  which  help  to  main¬ 
tain  the  unity  and  happiness  of  family  life.  By  this  means 
it  will  cooperate  effectually  with  the  parent  and  worthily 
discharge  its  function. 

Since  the  child  is  a  member  not  only  of  the  family  but 
also  of  the  larger  social  group,  his  education  must  prepare 
him  to  fulfil  his  obligations  to  society.  The  community 
has  the  right  to  insist  that  those  who  as  members  share  in 
its  benefits,  shall  possess  the  necessary  qualifications.  The 
school,  therefore,  whether  private  or  public  as  regards 
maintenance  and  control,  is  an  agency  for  social  welfare, 
and  as  such  it  bears  responsibility  to  the  whole  civic  body. 

While  the  social  aspect  of  education  is  evidently  im¬ 
portant,  it  must  be  remembered  that  social  righteousness 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


337 


depends  upon  individual  morality.  There  are  virtues,  such 
as  justice  and  charity,  which  are  exercised  in  our 
relations  with  others;  but  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
collective  virtue  which  can  be  practiced  by  a  community 
whose  individual  members  do  not  possess  it  in  any  manner 
or  degree.  For  this  very  reason,  the  attempt  to  develop  the 
qualities  of  citizenship  without  regard  for  personal  virtue, 
or  to  make  civic  utility  the  one  standard  of  moral  excel¬ 
lence,  is  doomed  to  failure.  Integrity  of  life  in  each  citizen 
is  the  only  sure  guarantee  of  worthy  citizenship. 

As  the  public  welfare  is  largely  dependent  upon  the 
intelligence  of  the  citizen,  the  State  has  a  vital  concern  in 
education.  This  is  implied  in  the  original 
purpose  of  our  government  which,  as  set  Function 
forth  in  the  preamble  to  the  Constitution,  of  the  State, 
is  “to  form  a  more  perfect  union,  establish' 
justice,  ensure  domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the  com¬ 
mon  defense,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the 
blessings  of  liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity.” 

In  accordance  with  these  purposes,  the  State  has  a  right 
to  insist  that  its  citizens  shall  be  educated.  It  should  en¬ 
courage  among  the  people  such  a  love  of  learning  that  they 
will  take  the  initiative  and,  without  constraint,  provide  for 
the  education  of  their  children.  Should  they  through  neg¬ 
ligence  or  lack  of  means  fail  to  do  so,  the  State  has  the 
right  to  establish  schools  and  take  every  other  legitimate 
means  to  safeguard  its  vital  interests  against  the  dangers 
that  result  from  ignorance.  In  particular,  it  has  both  the 
right  and  the  duty  to  exclude  the  teaching  of  doctrines  which 
aim  at  the  subversion  of  law  and  order  and  therefore  at 
the  destruction  of  the  State  itself. 

The  State  is  competent  to  do  these  things  because  its 
essential  function  is  to  promote  the  general  welfare.  But 
on  the  same  principle,  it  is  bound  to  respect  and  protect  the 
rights  of  the  citizen  and  especially  of  the  parent.  So  long  as 
these  rights  are  properly  exercised,  to  encroach  upon  them 
is  not  to  further  the  general  welfare  but  to  put  it  in  peril. 
If  the  function  of  government  is  to  protect  the  liberty  of  the 
citizen,  and  if  the  aim  of  education  is  to  prepare  the  individ¬ 
ual  for  the  rational  use  of  his  liberty,  the  State  cannot 


338  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

rightfully  or  consistently  make  education  a  pretext  for  in¬ 
terfering  with  rights  and  liberties  which  the  Creator,  not 
the  State,  has  conferred.  Any  advantage  that  might  accrue 
even  from  a  perfect  system  of  State  education,  would  be 
more  than  offset  by  the  wrong  which  the  violation  of  par¬ 
ental  rights  would  involve. 

In  our  country,  government  thus  far  has  wisely  refrained 
from  placing  any  other  than  absolutely  necessary  restrictions 
upon  private  initiative.  The  result  is  seen  in  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  our  resources,  the  products  of  inventive  genius  and 
the  magnitude  of  our  enterprises.  But  our  most  valuable 
resources  are  the  minds  of  our  children;  and  for  their  de¬ 
velopment,  at  least  the  same  scope  should  be  allowed  to 
individual  effort  as  is  secured  to  our  undertakings  in  the 
material  order. 

The  spirit  of  our  people  is  in  general  adverse  to  State 
monopoly,  and  this  for  the  obvious  reason  that  such  an 
absorption  of  control  would  mean  the  end  of  freedom 
and  initiative.  The  same  consequence  is  sure  to  follow 
when  the  State  attempts  to  monopolize  education;  and  the 
disaster  will  be  greater  inasmuch  as  it  will  affect,  not  simply 
the  worldly  interests  of  the  citizen,  but  also  his  spiritual 
growth  and  salvation. 

With  great  wisdom  our  American  Constitution  provides 
that  every  citizen  shall  be  free  to  follow  the  dictates  of  his 
conscience  in  the  matter  of  religious  belief  and  observance. 
While  the  State  gives  no  preference  or  advantage  to  any 
form  of  religion,  its  own  best  interests  require  that  religion 
as  well  as  education  should  flourish  and  exert  its  whole¬ 
some  influence  upon  the  lives  of  the  people.  And  since 
education  is  so  powerful  an  agency  for  the  preservation  of 
religion,  equal  freedom  should  be  secured  to  both.  This  is 
the  more  needful  where  the  State  refuses  religious  instruc¬ 
tion  any  place  in  its  schools.  To  compel  the  attendance  of 
all  children  at  these  schools,  would  be  practically  equiva¬ 
lent  to  an  invasion  of  the  rights  of  conscience,  in  respect  of 
those  parents  who  believe  that  religion  forms  a  necessary 
part  of  education. 

Our  Catholic  schools  are  not  established  and  maintained 
with  any  idea  of  holding  our  children  apart  from  the  gen- 


The  Pastoral  Letter  of  1919 


339 


eral  body  and  spirit  of  American  citizenship.  They  are 
simply  the  concrete  form  in  which  we  exercise  our  rights 
as  free  citizens,  in  conformity  with  the  dictates  of  con¬ 
science.  Their  very  existence  is  a  great  moral  fact  in  Amer¬ 
ican  life.  For  while  they  aim,  openly  and  avowedly,  to 
preserve  our  Catholic  faith,  they  offer  to  all  our  people  an 
example  of  the  use  of  freedom  for  the  advancement  of 
morality  and  religion. 

XIV.  Our  Higher  Destiny 

The  adjustment  of  the  relations  which  we  have  con¬ 
sidered,  is  intended  to  further  our  welfare  on  earth.  That 
mankind  through  freedom  and  peace  should  advance  in 
prosperity,  is  a  large  and  noble  aim.  But  it  is  not  the  ulti¬ 
mate  aim  of  human  existence;  nor  is  it  the  highest  criterion 
whereby  the  value  of  all  other  ends  and  the  worth  of  our 
striving  for  any  of  them  can  be  rightly  determined.  “For 
we  have  not  here  a  lasting  city,  but  we  seek  one  that  is  to 
come.”89  We  look  for  “a  City  that  hath  foundations;  whose 
builder  and  maker  is  God.”90 

In  the  light  of  our  higher  destiny,  we  can  judge  and 
surely  appraise  the  things  which  men  desire,  which  they 
hate  or  despise  or  fear.  We  can  see  in  their  true  perspec¬ 
tive  the  manifold  changes  of  the  world,  and  in  their  right 
proportion  its  losses  and  gains,  its  achievements  and  fail¬ 
ures.  We  can  understand  the  confusion,  the  dismay  and 
the  dread  of  what  may  come,  which  have  clouded  the  vis¬ 
ion  of  many.  For  these  are  the  final  result  of  the  vast 
experiment  whereby  the  world  would  have  proven  its  self- 
sufficiency.  To  those  who  imagine  that  humanity  has  out¬ 
grown  the  need  of  religion,  that  result  is  bewildering.  To 
the  Catholic  mind  it  brings  distress,  but  no  perplexity.  It 
repeats  with  an  emphasis  proportioned  to  the  weight  of  dis¬ 
aster,  the  lesson  which  history  has  written  again  and  again 
as  the  meaning  of  such  upheavals. 

“They  shall  perish,  but  thou  shalt  continue;  and  they 
shall  all  grow  old  as  a  garment.  And  as  a  vesture  shalt  thou 
change  them,  and  they  shall  be  changed;  but  thou  art  the 
self-same,  and  thy  years  shall  not  fail.”91  What  is  declared 

89  Heb.  xiii.  14.  90  Ibid.  xi.  10.  91  Heb.  i.  11,  12;  Ps.  ci.  27,  28. 


340  The  Pastorals  of  the  American  Hierarchy 

in  these  words  as  regards  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  is  like¬ 
wise  true  of  our  human  affairs.  And  the  more  fully  we  real¬ 
ize  that  change  is  the  law  of  our  existence,  the  more  readily 
should  we  turn  our  thought,  with  humble  confidence,  to¬ 
ward  our  Creator  and  His  eternal  law. 

As  we  look  upon  the  record  which  the  past  unfolds,  we 
cannot  but  note  that  it  is  filled  with  the  struggles  of  man¬ 
kind,  with  their  building  up  and  tearing  down,  with  search¬ 
ings  for  truth  which  often  end  in  illusion,  with  strivings 
after  good  which  lead  to  disappointment.  The  very  monu¬ 
ments  which  were  reared  to  celebrate  human  triumph,  re¬ 
main  simply  to  tell  of  subsequent  downfall.  Not  rarely,  the 
greatness  of  human  achievement  is  learned  from  the  vast 
extent  of  its  ruins. 

But  above  it  all,  standing  out  clearly  through  the  mists 
of  error  and  the  grosser  darkness  of  evil,  is  One,  in  raiment 
white  and  glistering,  who  has  solved  the  problem  of  life, 
has  given  to  sorrow  and  pain  a  new  meaning  and,  by  dying, 
has  overcome  death:  “Jesus  Christ  yesterday,  and  today; 
and  the  same  forever.”92 

There  are  numberless  paths,  but  the  Way  is  one.  There 
are  many  degrees  of  knowledge,  but  only  one  Truth.  There 
are  plans  and  ideals  of  living,  but  in  real  fulfilment  there  is 
only  one  Life.  For  none  other  than  He  could  say:  “I  am 
the  way  and  the  truth  and  the  life.”  93 

Pray,  therefore,  dearly  beloved,  that  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ  may  abide  with  us  always,  that  we  may  walk  on  His 
footsteps  in  justice  and  charity,  and  that  the  blessing  of 
God  may  descend  abundantly  upon  the  Church,  our  country 
and  the  whole  American  people. 

Given  at  Washington ,  in  Conference,  on  the  26th  day  of 
September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1919. 

In  his  own  name  and  in  the  name  of  the  Hierarchy, 

James  Cardinal  Gibbons, 

Archbishop  of  Baltimore . 


92  Heb.  xlii.  8. 


93  John  xiv.  6. 


INDEX 


A 

Abana,  70. 

Abiding  spirit  of  Christ,  340. 

Abiu,  53. 

Absolute  divorce,  314. 

Abstinence,  laws  of,  75;  36;  total,  135. 

Academies,  282. 

Acta  et  Decreta,  of  Provincial  Councils 
of  Baltimore,  60;  of  Second  Plenary, 
198. 

Activities,  Catholic  War,  294. 

Acts  of  religion,  7,  152. 

Adam,  fall  of,  63. 

Administration  Committee  (N.  C.  W. 
C.),  296. 

Administration,  of  Sacraments,  20;  of 
Church  property,  185. 

Advancement  of  piety,  151. 

Advantages  of  Catholic  education,  3, 
125 ;  of  religious,  4. 

Adversaries  of  the  Papacy,  165. 

Africa,  missions  in,  158;  religious  con¬ 
ditions  in,  174. 

Ages  of  Faith,  257,  283. 

Agencies  of  education,  245. 

Agnosticism,  244,  280. 

Agreement  (1810),  of  American  Hier¬ 
archy,  16. 

Aid,  foreign,  for  American  Church,  118; 
for  Pope,  208;  from  Lyons  Society, 
191. 

Aim,  of  Catholic  education,  281. 

A’Kempis,  Thomas,  250,  251. 

Alabama,  Vicariate  of  (1829),  39. 

Alemany,  Bishop,  195,  224. 

Allegiance,  Catholic,  90-1 ;  “double,”  90 ; 
civil,  192-3;  to  Holy  See,  meaning  of, 
172. 

“All  religions  are  alike,”  36. 

Allurements  of  the  world,  58. 

Alms,  77. 

Alumnae,  Federation  of  Catholic,  285. 

Amat,  Bishop,  225. 

Ambassadors  of  Christ,  40,  51-2. 

Ambition,  worldly,  75. 

Amendment,  on  religious  liberty,  82. 

America,  Mary,  the  Mother  of  God, 
Patroness  of,  1. 

America,  liberty  in,  82;  importance  of, 
in  world  reconstruction,  270;  growth 
of  Church  in  (1884-1919),  271;  racial 
assimilation  in,  293;  ideals  of,  324. 

American  Board  of  Catholic  Missions, 
296. 

American  Catholics,  devotion  of,  to 
Holy  See,  182;  in  the  World  War,  295. 

American  Church  and  Holy  See,  18; 
foreign  interference  in,  17;  needs  of, 
(1810),  16;  grievances  in,  18. 

American  College,  at  Rome,  236,  240. 

American  Constitution,  religious  free¬ 
dom  In,  338. 


American  Hierarchy,  agreement  of 
(1810),  16,  184;  and  President  Wil¬ 
son,  265 ;  and  the  Catholic  Univer¬ 
sity  of  America,  282. 

American  history,  study  of,  253. 

American  ideals,  and  Catholic  doc¬ 
trine,  235. 

American  liberties,  305. 

American  Protestant  Assoeiation  (A.  P. 
A.),  265. 

American  Protestants,  and  falsehoods, 
92. 

“Americanism,”  265. 

Amusements,  idle,  frivolous,  52,  219. 

Ananias  and  Saul,  96. 

Annual  Collection  for  the  Pope  (1866), 
208. 

Anti-Catholic  bitterness,  80;  feelings, 
(1833),  61;  fanaticism,  80;  books, 
92-3;  libels,  94;  literature,  114,  127. 

Anti-Catholicism,  in  American  public 
school  textbooks,  28;  in  United 
States,  27-8. 

A.  P.  A.,  265. 

Apocalypse,  horsemen  of,  22. 

Apostles,  counsel  of,  on  education  of 
young,  3 ;  persecution  of,  95 ;  Peter 
and  Paul,  174;  as  a  ministerial  body, 
200. 

Apostolic  Succession,  40;  Communion, 

201. 

Apostolic  Delegate,  to  Second  Plenary 
Council,  197;  over  Councils,  199; 
(Gibbons)  at  Third  Plenary  Council, 
228. 

Apostolic  Delegation,  269;  at  Washing¬ 
ton,  D.  C.,  265. 

Apostolicity  of  the  Church,  102,  175. 

Arbitration,  of  labour  disputes,  321, 

Archdiocese  of  Baltimore,  16. 

Archiepiscopal  See,  of  Oregon,  171 ;  of 
St.  Louis,  171. 

Armaments,  reduction  of,  331. 

Asia,  religious  conditions  of,  174;  need 
of  missions  in,  288. 

“Association,”  the  Protestant,  92-3. 

Association,  of  the  Holy  Childhood,  261; 
Catholic  Educational,  281. 

Assumption,  national  Catholic  feast 
day,  14. 

Attacks,  on  the  Faith,  27,  61 ;  upon  the 
Church,  28;  from  Protestant  pulpits, 
83;  good  effects  of,  85. 

Attendance,  at  Holy  Mass,  15,  236;  at 
Sunday,  1,  8,  11. 

Attitude,  bitter,  towards  Church,  80. 

Atonement  of  Christ,  76. 

Austria,  help  for  Church  here,  75. 

Authority,  source  of,  in  priesthood,  7 ; 
of  bishops,  32;  source  of  episcopal, 
103,  183;  obedience  to  Church,  157; 
ecclesiastical,  182,  200;  spiritual,  of 


342 


Index 


Rome,  184;  of  Plenary  Councils,  199; 
Infallible,  201;  source  of  civil,  205; 
contempt  for,  302;  origin  of,  307. 
Avarice,  11. 

Awful  Disclosures  of  Maria  Monk,  80. 


B 

Bacon,  Bishop,  225. 

Bad  company,  250. 

Baker,  Rev.  Richard  S.,  161. 

Baltimore,  St.  Mary’s  Seminary,  1. 

Baltimore,  First  National  Synod  of 
(Nov.  7-10,  1791),  1,  9-11. 

Baltimore  Diocese,  great  extent  of,  2. 

Baltimore  Diocese,  division  of  (1808), 
16. 

Baltimore,  First  Provincial  Council 
(1829),  17. 

Baltimore,  See  of,  and  Pius  VII  (1808), 
18. 

Baltimore,  erection  of  See  of,  20. 

Baltimore,  Second  Provincial  Council  of 
(1833),  61. 

Baltimore,  Provincial  Councils  of,  80. 

Bapst,  Father  John,  S.J.,  outrage  upon, 
197. 

Baptism,  102,  105. 

Baraga,  Bishop,  225. 

Bardstown,  Diocese  of,  16. 

Barron,  Bishop,  158. 

Basis,  of  democracy,  332;  of  moral 
law,  304. 

Bayley,  Bishop,  225. 

Beauty  of  Catholic  worship,  278. 

Bedini,  Archbishop,  197. 

Benefices,  111. 

Bible,  Douay  version  of,  30;  transla¬ 
tions  of,  131 ;  Protestant  versions  of, 
132;  in  public  schools,  132;  history. 
139;  reverence  for,  274. 

Bigotry,  in  American  literature,  80. 

Bigotry,  revival  of,  197. 

Ballot,  sacred  obligation  of,  142. 

Bishops,  consecration  of  first  suffragan 
(1810),  16. 

Bishops,  labours  of,  32;  authority  of, 
32,  182;  duties  of,  62;  obedience  to, 
183;  and  priests,  240-241. 

Blanc,  Bishop  (New  Orleans),  119,  147, 
160,  169,  180,  195. 

Blanchet,  Archbishop  (Oregon),  195, 
224. 

Blanchet,  Bishop  A.  M.  A.,  224. 

Blasphemy,  95. 

Blessed  Eucharist,  10. 

Blessed  Sacrament,  Benediction  of,  256. 

Blessed  Sacrament,  Confraternity  of, 
260. 

Blessed  Virgin,  Sodality  of,  260. 

Blessed  Virgin,  devotion  to,  279. 

Blessings,  of  the  Faith,  273. 

Blind  man,  of  the  Gospel,  71. 

“Bloody  Monday,”  in  Louisville  (1855), 
197. 

Bond,  the  marriage,  314. 

Books,  of  devotion,  30;  of  instruction, 
73;  bigoted,  80;  anti-Catholic,  92-93; 


Catholic,  114;  against  Catholic  faith, 
in  public  schools,  152;  censorship  of, 
213;  and  newspapers,  213;  infidel, 
231. 

Boston,  Diocese  of,  16. 

Bordeaux,  Cardinal-Archbishop  of 
(Cheverus),  17. 

Breckinridge,  Papism  in  the  Nineteenth 
Century  (1841),  167. 

Breviary,  reading  of,  44. 

Britain,  religious  freedom  in,  82. 

British  Isles,  persecution  of  Catholics 
in,  18. 

Brute,  Bishop,  119. 

Building,  of  Churches,  10. 

Business  pursuits,  277. 

Byrne,  Bishop  (Little  Rock),  169,  180, 
195. 

C 

Caesar,  the  things  of,  166. 

Calls,  to  the  ecclesiastical  state,  74-75. 

Calumnies,  against  the  Church,  28; 
against  Catholics,  154. 

Calvin,  233. 

Canada,  Bishop  of,  at  Third  Plenary 
Council,  226. 

Canadian  Protestants,  92. 

Candidates,  for  Holy  Orders,  4. 

Candidates,  for  the  priesthood,  74. 

Canon  law,  earliest  code  of,  in  the 
United  States,  16. 

Canon,  of  Holy  Scripture,  131. 

Canonical  status,  of  Church  in  Amer¬ 
ica,  270. 

Canons,  on  Church  support,  6. 

Capital  and  labour,  mutual  obliga¬ 

tions  of,  320. 

Capital  and  labour,  respective  rights, 
321. 

Care,  of  orphans,  116. 

Care,  of  the  immigrants,  326. 

Cares,  household,  277. 

Carmelites,  19. 

Carrell,  Bishop  G.  A.  (Covington),  225. 

Carroll,  Archbishop  John,  Pastoral 

Letter,  12-13,  17,  60,  238. 

Carroll,  Bishop,  Pastoral  Letter  to  the 
Congregation  of  the  Holy  Trinity 
Church,  Philadelphia  (1797),  15. 

Catechetical  instruction,  61. 

Catechism,  73,  231. 

Catholic  discipline,  in  the  United 
States,  16. 

Catholic  colleges,  in  U.  S.  (1829),  18. 

Catholic  doctrine,  Protestant  misrep¬ 
resentations  of,  28. 

Catholic  unity,  31-32,  62. 

Catholic  Emancipation,  61. 

Catholic  publications,  support  of,  67. 

Catholic  sermons,  73. 

Catholic  colleges,  74. 

Catholic  truth,  misrepresentation  of, 
78. 

Catholic  allegiance,  90-91. 

Catholic  emigrants,  and  citizenship,  91. 

Catholic,  religious  duties  of  the,  97-98. 

Catholic  Press,  support  of,  114. 


Index 


343 


Catholic  publishers,  114. 

Catholic  books,  114. 

Catholic  Traet  Society,  115. 

Catholic  colleges  (1840),  135. 

Catholic  Sisterhoods,  194. 

Catholic  press,  services  of,  212. 

Catholic  newspapers,  213. 

Catholic  Publication  Society,  214. 

Catholic  Protectories,  216. 

Catholic  children,  neglected,  216. 

Catholic  societies,  increase  of,  220. 

Catholic  doctrines  and  American  ideals, 
235. 

Catholic  Church,  in  the  U.  S.,  progress 
of,  237-238. 

Catholic  literature,  249,  291. 

Catholic  press,  providential  mission  of, 
252. 

Catholic  periodicals,  252. 

Catholic  Temperance  Societies,  255. 

Catholic  Societies,  260,  289. 

Catholic  Young  Men’s  National  Union, 
261. 

Catholic  labour  unions,  262. 

Catholic  Indians,  263. 

Catholic  spirit,  275. 

Catholic  Charities,  Conference  of,  276. 

Catholic  home,  nursery  of  Christian 
life,  280. 

Catholic  Societies,  Federation  of,  284. 

Catholic  press,  function  of,  290. 

Catholic  journalists,  291. 

Catholic  authors,  291. 

Catholic,  war  activities,  294. 

Catholic  Young  Men’s  Association,  295. 

Catholic  men  in  the  Service,  295. 

Catholic  Missions,  American  Board  of, 
296. 

Catholic  mothers,  314. 

Catholic  Encyclopedia,  292. 

Catholic  Miscellany,  1,  19;  non-support 
of  (1829),  27-28. 

Catholic  Education,  subject  of  first  im¬ 
portance,  74;  pressing  obligation  of, 
124-125 ;  advantages  of,  125 ;  Higher, 
135;  182;  means  for,  187;  and  Irish 
hierarchy,  191;  principles  of,  215, 
280-282,  333-339. 

Catholic  Educational  Association,  281. 

Catholic  Schools,  excellence  of  (1837), 
115,  187-190,  271;  establishment  of, 
191;  needs  of,  246;  perfection  of, 
247;  why  founded,  339. 

Catholic  Universities,  in  United  States, 
18. 

Catholic  University  of  Ireland,  191. 

Catholic  University  of  America,  226; 
meeting  of  hierarchy  at,  265;  found¬ 
ing  of,  282. 

Catholics,  outrages  upon,  197. 

Catholicism,  effort  to  destroy,  94. 

Catholicism,  progress  of,  (1866-1884), 
226. 

Catholicism,  and  America,  234. 

Catholicity,  practical  means  of,  275. 

Catholics,  number  of,  in  Colonial 
days,  6. 

Catholics,  number  of  in  1791,  11. 

Catholics,  in  Maryland,  18. 


Catholics,  scattered  condition  of 
(1833),  72. 

Catholics,  in  Federal  and  Confederate 
Armies,  197. 

Celebration  of  Mass,  10. 

Censorship,  of  books,  213. 

Ceremonials,  knowledge  of,  47;  exact¬ 
ness  of,  53. 

Ceremonies,  respect  for,  7. 

Ceremonies,  of  mixed  marriages,  120. 
Chabrat,  Bishop,  119,  160,  169. 

Chair  of  Peter,  174,  232. 

Chalices,  7. 

Challoner,  Bishop,  251. 

Chanche,  Bishop,  160,  169,  180,  195. 
Chaplains,  in  the  World  War,  295. 
Character,  development  of  youthful, 
249-250. 

Charges,  against  the  Church,  83. 
Charity,  309. 

Charity,  towards  poor,  9. 

Charity,  towards  neighbours,  99. 
Charity,  claims  of,  154. 

Charity,  of  Christ,  269. 

Charity,  precept  of,  309. 

Charleston,  Bishop  England  of,  17. 
Charlestown,  Mass.,  burning  of  Urs- 
uline  Convent  by  anti-Catholic  mob, 
80;  outrages  at,  121-122. 

Chastity,  of  the  clergy,  117. 

Cheverus,  Bishop,  17;  and  St.  Mary’s 
Seminary,  17. 

Children,  virtue  in,  4;  docility  of,  4; 
example  to,  4;  instructions  to,  4; 
education  of,  24-27 ;  disobedience  of, 
25;  scandal  to,  26;  training  of,  107; 
scandal  and,  107. 

Children,  Catholic,  in  public  schools, 

120. 

Christ,  in  the  Church,  22,  96,  301-302. 
Christ,  merits  of,  6l. 

Christ,  sufferings  of,  76. 

Christ,  atonement  of,  76. 

Christ,  and  the  world,  95-96,  301. 
Christ,  the  root  of  holiness,  105. 

Christ,  obedience  to,  151. 

Christ,  and  the  Apostles,  201. 

Christian  education,  importance  of, 
24-27. 

Christian  instruction  of  youth,  3. 
Christian  education,  advantage  of,  3. 
Christian  morality,  4. 

Christian  perfection,  79. 

Christian,  vocation  of  the,  107. 
Christian  marriage,  136-137,  247. 
Christian  generosity,  168. 

Christian  parents,  educational  duties 
of,  190. 

Christian  freedom,  200. 

Christian  morals,  204. 

Christian  marriage,  holiness  of,  210. 
Christian  education,  243-244. 

Christian  home,  the,  247,  252. 

Christian  schools,  252. 

Christianity,  destruction  of,  94. 
Christianity,  and  its  opponents,  268. 
Christians,  primitive,  6. 

Church,  financial  support  of,  1. 

Church,  early,  in  United  States,  6. 


344 


Index 


Church,  building  and  repairing  of,  10. 
Church,  ornaments  of,  10. 
Church-wardens,  10. 

Church  discipline,  uniformity  of,  10. 
Church,  in  America,  retrospect  of,  18. 
Church,  grievances  in  America,  18. 
Church  and  State,  20,  192-193,  205. 
Church,  in  the  United  States,  growth 
of  (1829),  20. 

Church,  in  the  United  States  (1790),  21. 
Church,  in  America,  loss  and  gain,  21. 
Church,  Christ  in,  22. 

Church,  founded  by  Christ,  31. 

Church  services,  attendance  at,  35. 
Church,  history  of  the,  47. 

Church,  insults  to  the,  50. 

Church,  discipline,  unification  of,  60. 

Church,  calumnies  against  the,  78. 
Church,  attacks  upon,  78. 

Church,  persecution  of,  81-82. 

Church,  falsehoods  against,  82. 

Church,  oft-refuted  charges  against,  83. 

Church,  hatred  for,  85. 

Church,  attacks  upon,  good  effect  of,  85. 
Church,  apostolicity,  102,  175. 

Church,  support  of,  107-108. 

Church,  property,  incorporation  of,  109. 
Church,  enemies  of,  123-124,  205,  208. 
Church,  hostile  attitude  towards,  124. 
Church,  a  visible  body,  127. 

Church,  obedience  to  the,  128,  200. 
Church,  infallibility  of  the,  130. 
Church,  in  America,  Mary  the  Mother 
of  God,  Patroness  of  (1866),  169. 
Church,  unity  of,  174. 

Church,  property,  administration  of, 
185. 

Church,  discipline,  186. 

Church,  interests  of,  198. 

Church,  property  incorporation  of,  206. 
Church,  finances,  242. 

Church,  property,  242. 

Church,  debts,  242. 

Church,  debt  societies,  260. 

Church,  progress  of  (1884-1919),  268. 

Church  and  truth,  268. 

Church,  vitality  of,  269. 

Church  in  America  and  the  Holy  See, 

269. 

Church  in  the  United  States,  271. 
Church,  mission  of,  273. 

Church,  history  of,  274-275. 

Church,  and  civilization,  275. 

Church  Extension  Society,  285. 

Church,  Christ  and,  301-302. 

Church,  right  of,  to  educate,  335. 
Churches,  repairing  of,  7;  erection  of, 
decoration  of,  furniture  of,  108;  need 
of,  187;  need  of  (1833),  61. 
Cincinnati,  province  of,  181. 

Citizens,  morals  of,  4;  duty  of,  90. 
Citizenship,  91. 

City  of  Rome,  174. 

Civil  and  political  rights,  37. 

Civil  disenfranchisement,  82. 

Civil  duties,  obligations  of,  192. 

Civil  allegiance,  192-193. 

Civil  liberty,  200. 

Civil  Society,  201. 


Civil  Power,  obedience  to,  205. 

Civil  authority,  205,  306. 

Civil  War,  the,  197. 

Civil  War,  Catholics  in,  197. 
Civilization,  and  the  Church,  275. 
Claims,  of  Christian  Charity,  154. 

Clancy,  Bishop,  119. 

Class  conflict,  302,  320. 

Clean  of  heart,  44. 

Clean  living,  312. 

Clean  politics,  326. 

Clergy,  maintenance  of,  1,  6,  75,  185. 
Clergy,  the  light  of  the  world,  41. 
Clergy,  exhortation  to,  68. 

Clergy,  small  number  of  (1833),  72. 
Clergy,  support  of,  110-111. 

Clergy,  virtuous  life  of,  116-117. 

Clergy,  hospitality  of,  117. 

Clergy,  libels  on,  122. 

Clergy,  example  of,  193. 

Clergy,  duties  of,  220. 

Clergy  Fund,  112. 

Clergy,  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  (1829), 
39-59. 

Clerical  discipline,  120. 

Clerical  discipline,  reorganization  of 
(1829),  19. 

Clerical  life,  rules  of,  49-50. 

Code,  of  Canon  Law,  in  the  United 
States,  16. 

Cody,  Rev.  John  D.,  225. 

Collection,  for  the  Pope,  175. 

Collections,  at  Mass,  10. 

College,  of  Georgetown,  founded 
(1789),  1. 

Colleges,  282. 

Colleges,  Catholic,  in  United  States,  18, 
74. 

Colleges,  Catholic  (1840),  135. 

Cologne,  Archbishop  of,  140. 

Colonial  times,  Catholics  in,  6. 

Colored  people,  mission  to,  263. 
Commandments,  keeping  the,  14. 
Commission,  to  the  Apostles,  201,  231. 
Committee  on  Special  War  Activities  of 
the  N.  C.  W.  C.,  295. 

Communities,  religious,  of  women 
(1829),  19. 

Communities,  religious,  221. 
Communion,  frequent,  72,  278. 
Company,  bad,  250. 

Comte  de  Forbin-Janson,  Bishop,  120. 
Conception  of  St.  Anne,  176. 

Concilia  Provincialia  Baltimori  habita 
ab  anno  1829  ad  annum  18k9,  60. 
Conditions,  secular  (1919),  292. 
Conference  of  Catholic  Charities,  276. 
Confirmation,  Sacrament  of,  105. 
Conflict,  of  classes,  302. 

Confraternity  of  the  Blessed  Sacra¬ 
ment,  260. 

Confraternity  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of 
Jesus,  260. 

Congregation  de  Propaganda  Fide,  236. 
Conjugal  duties,  212. 

Conroy,  Bishop  J.  J.,  225. 

Conscience,  errors  of,  71. 

Conscription,  331. 


Index 


345 


Consecration  of  the  first  bishops  (Oct. 

28-Nov.  4,  1810),  16. 

Conspiracies,  imaginary,  84. 
Constitution,  Federal,  81. 

Constitutions,  State,  and  Church  Prop¬ 
erty,  34. 

Contempt,  of  Massachusetts  Legislature, 
91-92. 

Contributions,  of  rich,  9;  duty  of  mak¬ 
ing,  11;  to  education,  243. 
Controversies,  204. 

Controversies,  in  doctrine,  201. 
Controversy,  school,  265. 

Convent,  Ursuline,  burning  by  anti- 
Catholic  mob,  80,  87. 

Convent,  Inspection  Bill,  197. 
Conversations,  unprofitable,  46,  78. 
Conversions,  96. 

Conversions,  in  England  (1846),  163. 
Conversions,  prayers  for,  165,  286. 
Coosmans,  Rev.  Ferd.,  S.J.,  225. 
Correction,  4. 

Corruption,  moral,  93. 

Council,  National,  184. 

Council  of  Jerusalem,  177. 

Council  of  Trent,  164,  177,  186,  193,  213. 
Council  of  Trent,  on  Holy  Scripture,  29. 
Council  of  the  Vatican,  object  of,  228. 
Council,  First  Provincial  (1829),  16. 
Council,  Second  Provincial  (1833),  61. 
Council,  Third  Provincial  (1837),  85. 
Council,  Fourth,  Provincial  (1840),  120. 
Council,  Fifth  Provincial  (1843),  150. 
Council,  Sixth  Provincial  (1846),  162. 
Council,  Seventh  Provincial  (1849),  171. 
Council,  First  Plenary,  (1852),  181. 
Council,  Second  Plenary  (1866),  197. 
Council,  Third  Plenary  (1884),  265. 
Councils,  Provincial,  of  Baltimore,  80. 
Councils,  seven  provincial,  legislation 
of,  182. 

Councils,  reverence  for,  197. 

Councils,  object  of,  197. 

Councils,  authority  of  Plenary,  199. 
Councils,  of,  199. 

Counsel,  of  Apostles,  on  educating 
young,  3. 

Country,  benefit  of  our,  4. 

Country,  welfare  of  our,  4. 

Creator  and  creature,  65. 

Creatures  and  the  Creator,  65. 

Cretin,  Bishop,  196. 

Cross,  the  scandal  of  the,  25. 

Cross,  enemies  of,  77. 

Catholic  University  of  America,  steady 
and  vigorous  growth  of,  283. 

Catholic  University  of  America,  Found¬ 
ers  of,  284. 

Culture  and  education,  333. 

Customs,  varied,  in  American  life,  181. 

D 

Damascus,  70. 

Damphoux,  Rev.  Edward,  S.S.,  38,  59. 
Danger,  of  riches,  143. 

Dangerous  reading,  94. 

Dangers,  of  non-Catholic  education,  125 
David,  Bishop,  29. 

Day,  the  Lord’s,  8. 


Dead,  prayers  for,  1,  277;  neglect  of 

the,  12. 

Dead,  pious  associations  for  prayers 
for  the,  13. 

Death,  62;  common  to  all,  75. 

Decoration,  of  churches,  108. 

Decrees,  of  First  Provincial  Council 
(1829),  19. 

Decrees,  Papal,  on  secret  societies,  153. 

Decrees,  of  Councils,  promulgation  of, 
199. 

De  Forbin-Janson,  Bishop,  120. 

De  la  HailandiOre,  Bishop,  149,  160,  169. 

Delusions,  of  the  world,  78. 

Demers,  Bishop,  225. 

Democracy,  basis  of,  311,  332;  growth 
of,  330. 

Department  of  Education  (N.  C.  W. 
C.),  296. 

Department  of  Lay  Activities  (N.  C. 
W.  C.),  296. 

Department  of  Press  and  Literature 
(N.  C.  W.  C.),  296. 

Department  of  Social  Welfare  (N.  C. 
W.  C.),  296. 

Dependence,  on  God,  304. 

Deposit  of  faith,  36. 

Deposit  of  divine  truth,  231. 

Deposit  of  divine  revelation,  274. 

Despotic  tendencies,  of  the  State,  230. 

Depositum  fidei,  151. 

De  St.  Palais,  Bishop,  180,  225. 

Destiny,  our  higher,  339. 

Devotion,  to  the  Mother  of  God,  13,  279. 

Devotion,  of  American  Catholics  to  the 
Holy  See,  182. 

Difficulties,  in  Holy  Scripture,  29. 

Dignity,  of  priesthood,  41. 

Diocesan  Synod,  of  Baltimore  (1791),  9. 

Diocesan  seminaries,  60. 

Diocesan  censorship  of  books,  213. 

Diocesan  fund  for  ecclesiastical  stu¬ 
dents,  218. 

Diocesan  Synods,  223. 

Diocese,  of  Baltimore,  great  extent  of,  2. 

Diocese,  of  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Boston,  Bardstown,  16. 

Diocese,  of  Baltimore,  division  of 
(1808),  16. 

Dioceses,  condition  of  (1829),  17;  erec¬ 
tion  of  new,  18;  division  of,  60; 
number  of  in  America  (1919),  271. 

Discipline,  4 ;  uniformity  of  ecclesias¬ 
tical,  16;  uniform  system  of,  17;  re¬ 
organization  of  clerical  (1829),  19; 
unification  of  Church,  60;  of  the 
Jews,  76;  of  the  clergy,  120;  of  the 
Church,  186;  uniformity  of,  223. 

Disenfranchisement,  civil,  82. 

Dishonesty,  9,  306. 

Disobedience,  of  children,  25. 

Disobedience,  to  bishops,  205. 

Dispensation,  Jewish,  6. 

Dispositions,  for  reception  of  Sacra¬ 
ments,  70. 

Dissensions,  in  Church,  cause  of,  23. 

Distortion  of  history,  28. 

Divergencies,  national  and  racial,  181. 

Divine  worship,  support  of,  9. 


346 


Index 


Divine  inspiration,  of  Holy  Scripture, 
28-29. 

Divine  writings,  the,  67. 

Division,  of  religious  oblations,  6-7. 

Division,  of  offerings  at  Mass,  10. 

Division,  of  dioceses,  60. 

Divisions,  of  Christian  Church,  163. 
Divorce,  156-157,  211,  248,  314.  „ 
Divorce,  growth  of,  315. 

Docility,  of  children,  3. 

Doctrinal  controversies,  201. 

Doctrine,  unchangeableness  of  Catholic, 
30. 

Doctrine,  of  private  judgment,  132. 
Doctrine,  of  infallibility,  233. 

Doctrines,  false,  7,  303. 

Dogma,  of  Immaculate  Conception,  172. 
Domenec,  Bishop,  225. 

Domestic  economy,  9. 

Domestic  happiness,  94. 

Domestic  cares,  194,  271. 

Double  allegiance,  charge  of,  78. 
“Double  allegiance,”  90. 

Douai  (or  Doway)  Bible,  30. 

Douay  version,  recommendation  of,  251. 
Dress,  priestly,  52. 

Dubois,  Bishop,  79,  160,  169,  225. 
Dubuque,  See  of,  120. 

Duplicity,  3. 

Duties,  of  bishops,  62. 

Duties,  priestly,  69. 

Duties,  of  the  government,  78. 

Duties,  of  religious,  97. 

Duties,  religious,  of  Catholics,  97-99. 
Duties,  of  parents,  99-100,  106,  217. 
Duties,  of  parents,  educational,  153. 
Duties,  educational,  of  Christian  par¬ 
ents,  190. 

Duties,  religious,  271. 

Duties,  in  married  life.  313. 

Duty,  and  temptation,  49. 

Duty,  of  meditation,  69. 

Duty,  of  prayer,  73. 

Duty,  of  citizens,  90. 

Duty,  of  preaching,  118. 

E 

Early  Church,  in  United  States,  6. 
Easter  Precept,  71. 

Ecclesiastical,  Seminary,  4. 
Ecclesiastical,  authority,  200. 
Ecclesiastical,  authority,  nature  of,  201. 
Ecclesiastical,  tradition,  203. 
Ecclesiastics,  training  of  young,  4. 
Eccleston,  Archbishop,  119,  120,  149, 
160,  169,  171,  180. 

Economic  system,  of  Middle  Ages,  323. 
Edification,  of  neighbors,  152. 
Education,  necessity  of  a  Christian,  1. 
Education,  advantages  of  a  Christian,  3. 
Education,  of  young,  3,  167,  215. 
Education,  advantages  of  a  religious,  4. 
Education,  of  youth,  expense  of,  4. 
Education,  of  pastors,  4. 

Education,  importance  of  a  Christian, 
24-27. 

Education,  Catholic,  74,  182. 

Education,  of  the  young  in  1837,  115. 


Education,  principles  of  Catholic,  115, 
116,  215,  280,  282. 

Education,  Catholic,  obligation  of, 
124-125. 

Education,  advantages  of  Catholic,  125. 
Education,  expense  of  Catholic,  125. 
Education,  Catholic  means  for,  187. 
Education,  of  priests,  188. 

Education,  without  religion,  190. 
Education,  scepticism  in,  230. 
Education,  Christian,  243-244. 
Education,  one-sided,  244. 

Education,  non-Catholic  denominations 
and,  246. 

Education,  importance  of,  332. 
Education,  principles  of,  332-339. 
Education,  and  culture,  333. 

Education,  the  best,  335. 

Education,  social  aspect  of,  336. 
Educational  duties,  of  parents,  153. 
Educational  duties,  of  Christian  par¬ 
ents,  190. 

Educational  problems  in  the  United 
States,  332-333. 

Effect,  of  the  Sacraments,  70,  71. 

Effect,  of  misrepresentation,  84. 
Efficacy,  of  the  Sacraments,  71. 

Effort,  to  destroy  Catholicism,  94. 

Egan,  Bishop,  death  of,  17. 

Elder,  Bishop,  225. 

Elections,  in  the  United  States,  142. 
Elements,  of  the  Sacraments,  70. 

Elias,  prayer  of,  66. 

Eliseus,  70. 

Elizabeth,  cousin  of  Our  Lady,  177. 
Ellsworth,  Me.,  outrage  at,  177. 
Emancipated  Slaves,  220. 

Emanicpation,  Catholic,  6. 

Emancipation  of  slaves,  opinion  on, 

221. 

Employers  and  Employes,  321. 

Ember  Days,  77. 

Emigrants,  73. 

Emigrants,  Catholic,  91. 

Emigration,  20. 

Encoui’agement,  of  unbelief,  93. 
Encyclical,  Longinqua  Oceani  spatia, 
267;  Paterno  iam  diu,  220;  Rerum 
Novarum,  317. 

Endowments,  for  St.  Mary’s  Sem¬ 
inary,  4. 

Enemies,  of  the  priesthood,  57. 

Enemies,  of  the  Cross,  77,  92-93. 
Enemies,  love  for,  87. 

Enemies,  of  the  Church,  123-124,  205, 
208. 

England,  conversions  in,  159. 

England,  conversions  in  1846,  163. 
England,  Bishop,  17,  38,  59,  79,  119, 
149. 

England,  John,  and  Pastoral  Letter  to 
the  Laity  (1829),  17. 

England,  John,  and  Pastoral  Letter  to 
the  Clergy  (1829),  39. 

England,  Bishop,  death  of,  50. 

Ephesus,  Council  of,  176. 

Episcopal  authority,  17,  182. 

Episcopal  authority,  source  of,  103. 
Episcopal  succession,  102. 


Index 


347 


Equality,  305. 

Erection,  of  new  dioceses,  18. 

Erection,  of  churches,  108. 

Error,  184;  seductions  of,  14;  religious, 
37 ;  and  truth,  208 ;  and  the  Apostolic 
See,  232;  of  conscience,  7. 
Establishment,  of  missions,  187. 
Establishment,  of  Catholic  schools,  191. 
Eternity,  preparation  for,  79. 

Eucharist,  the  Blessed,  10. 

Eucharistic  Sacrifice,  7. 

Evening,  prayer,  3. 

Evil,  rendering  good  for,  78. 

Evil,  sources  of,  302. 

Evils,  false  remedies  for,  180. 

Evils,  of  intemperance,  155. 

Evils,  of  trusteeism,  34. 

Eugenie,  Empress,  197. 

Examination  of  conscience,  44. 
Example,  of  the  clergy,  193. 

Example,  power  of,  107. 

Examples,  to  children,  4. 

Excellence,  of  Catholic  Education  (1837), 
115. 

Exchange  of  prisoners,  331. 

Excursions,  214. 

Excuses,  for  absence  from  Mass,  8. 
Exhortation,  to  the  Clergy,  68. 

Expense,  of  Catholic  Education,  125. 
Expense,  of  educating  youth,  4. 
Experience,  human,  67. 

Extreme  Unction,  106. 

F 

Fairs,  219. 

Faith,  preservation  and  extension  of, 
2,  11;  principles  of,  4,  7;  spread  of, 
6;  of  the  Irish,  24;  attacks  on,  27, 
61,  loyalty  to  the,  37;  light  of,  64; 
doctrine  of,  unchangeable,  67; 
strengthening  of  the,  73;  without 
works,  97;  progress  of  (1840),  121; 
unity  of,  151;  public  profession  of, 
151;  precious  inheritance  of,  152; 
progress  of  (1846),  163-164. 

Faith,  Society  of  the  Propagation  of  the, 
191-192. 

Faith,  and  opinion,  203. 

Faith,  treasures  of,  272. 

Faith,  blessings  of,  273. 

Faithful,  religious  oblations  of  the,  6. 
Faithful,  departed,  prayers  for,  12. 

Fall  of  Adam,  67. 

Fall  of  our  first  parents,  64. 

False  doctrines,  7,  303. 

False  liberalism,  36. 

False  shame,  125. 

False  civilization,  230. 

Falsehoods,  against  the  Church,  82. 
Falsehoods,  and  American  Protestants, 
92. 

Falsehoods,  indecent,  94. 

Family  prayers,  247-248. 

Family,  rights  and  the  State,  306. 
Fanaticism,  anti-Catholic,  80. 

Far  West,  Jesuit  missions  in,  60. 

Far  West,  Church  in  (1884),  228. 

Fasting  and  abstinence,  36,  75. 

Fear  of  God,  3. 


Feast-Day,  National  Catholic  (August 

15),  14. 

Federal  Constitution,  81. 

Federalization,  of  Catholic  Societies,  284. 
Federation  of  Catholic  Societies,  285. 
Federation  of  Catholic  Alumnae,  285. 
Feehan,  Bishop,  225. 

Fenwick,  Bishop  (Boston),  38,  59,  79, 
119,  149,  160. 

Fenwick,  Bishop  (Cincinnati),  38,  59. 
Fewness,  of  the  clergy,  97. 

Fifth  Provincial  Council  (1843),  150. 
Filial  piety,  25. 

Finances,  of  the  churches,  242. 

First  Plenary  Council  (1852),  171,  181. 
First  Provincial  Council  (1829),  60. 
First  Provincial  Council,  and  Arch¬ 
bishop  Whitfield,  17. 

First  Provincial  Council,  decrees  of,  19. 
First  parents,  fall  of,  64. 

Fitzpatrick,  Bishop,  170,  180,  195. 
Flaget,  Bishop,  38,  59,  149. 

Florida,  vicariate  of  (1829),  39. 
Following  of  Christ,  249. 

Folly,  of  private  judgment,  203. 
Forbidden  degrees,  in  marriage,  212. 
Forbidden  Societies,  256. 

Foreign,  priests,  11. 

Foreign  help,  for  Church  in  the  United 
States,  75. 

Foreign  Missionary  Colleges,  263. 

Foreign  Missions,  287. 

“Foreign  Potentate,”  90. 

Formalism  in  prayers,  66. 

Founders  of  the  Republic,  324. 

Fourth  Provincial  Council  (1840),  120. 
Frailty,  of  nature,  3. 

France,  debt  to  Catholic,  23. 

France,  help  from,  for  Church  here,  75. 
Franchise,  and  religious  liberty,  82. 
Franco-Prussian  War,  229. 

Fraud,  3. 

Freedom  from  trusteeism,  108-9. 
Freedom,  Christian,  200. 

French  Revolution,  167. 

Frequent  Communion,  72,  278. 
Frequentation,  of  the  Sacraments,  3. 
Friars  Preacher,  19. 

Fiction,  immodest,  93. 

Friday  abstinence,  77. 

Froude,  211. 

Frugality,  habits  of,  9. 

Fruits,  of  the  Redemption,  104. 

Function  of  the  State,  in  Education,  337. 
Fund,  Clergy,  112. 

Funeral  services,  13. 

G 

Gains,  in  American  Church,  22. 
Gartland,  Bishop,  195. 

Gates  of  Hell,  31. 

Generosity  of  Austria,  of  France,  of 
Germany,  of  Ireland,  to  Church  in 
the  United  States,  60. 

Generosity,  Christian,  168. 

Georgetown,  College  of,  founded  (1789), 
1,  4;  a  school  of  letters  and  virtue,  4. 
Gibbons,  Archbishop,  226,  264. 


Index 


348 


Gibbons,  James  Cardinal,  265,  340. 
Gnesen-Posen,  Archbishop  of,  140. 

God,  love  of,  3;  fear  of,  3. 

God,  the  Supreme  Ruler,  304. 

God’s  Day,  253. 

Goesbriand,  Bishop,  225. 

Good  Shepherd,  54. 

Good  reading,  249. 

Gospel,  preaching  the,  101. 

Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  world  re¬ 
construction,  301. 

Gospel,  Law  of,  310. 

Government,  duties  to,  78. 

Government  of  the  Church,  108. 

Grace,  7,  65. 

Grace,  supernatural,  64-65. 

Grace,  efficacious  means  of,  65. 

Grace,  of  the  Sacraments,  70-71. 

Grace,  riches  of,  98. 

Grace,  sources  of,  106. 

Grace,  Bishop,  225. 

Gratitude,  4. 

Graves  de  communi  (1901),  319. 

Greek  Schism,  237. 

Grievances,  in  American  Church,  18. 
Growth,  of  the  Church  in  the  U.  S. 
(1829),  20. 

Growth,  of  the  Church  in  America 
(1884-1919),  271. 

Guadeloupe  Hidalgo,  Treaty  of  (1848), 
171. 

H 

Habits,  of  obedience,  3. 

Habits,  of  virtue  and  religion,  3. 
Habits,  of  frugality,  5. 

Habits,  of  temperance,  9. 

Happiness,  4;  source  of,  4;  domestic, 
94. 

Hatred  for  the  Church,  85. 

Haydock,  Canon,  251. 

Hearing,  the  Word  of  God,  97. 

Heathens  and  publicans,  77. 

Heaven,  joys  of,  107. 

Heavenly  treasures,  28. 

Hell,  Gates  of,  31. 

Help,  foreign,  for  Church  in  the  United 
States,  75. 

Hennessy,  Bishop,  225. 

Henni,  Bishop,  170,  180,  195,  224. 

Henry  VIII,  of  England,  210. 

Heresy,  232. 

Hierarchy,  American,  184. 

Hierarchy,  first  annual  meeting  of  (Sep¬ 
tember,  1919),  265. 

Hierarchy,  meeting  of  (1919),  purpose 
of,  267. 

Higher  Education,  Catholic,  135. 

History,  distortion  of,  28. 

History  of  the  Church,  47,  232,  274-275. 
History,  Bible,  137. 

History,  love  of,  250. 

History  of  the  United  States,  250. 
Holiness,  the  root  of,  105. 

Holiness,  personal,  168. 

Holiness  of  Christian  marriage,  210. 

Holy  Childhood,  Association  of,  260. 
Holy  Communion,  14,  172. 

Holy  Eucharist,  7,  106,  278. 


Holy  Father,  aid  for,  208. 

Holy  Ghost,  40. 

Holy  Ghost,  inspiration  of,  203. 

Holy  Name,  respect  for,  3. 

Holy  Name,  of  Jesus,  101. 

Holy  Orders,  candidates  for,  4. 

Holy  Orders,  preparation  for,  69. 

Holy  Orders,  Sacrament  of,  106. 

Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  offerings,  10. 
Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  attendance 
at,  35. 

Holy  Scripture,  difficulties  lu,  29; 
Council  of  Trent  on,  29;  and  science, 
30;  Protestant  Canon  of,  30;  inter¬ 
pretation  of,  28-29,  45,  126-128,  167, 
250,  274;  preservation  of,  30,  274;  de¬ 
fence  of,  229. 

Holy  See,  and  American  Church,  17,  269. 
Holy  See,  obedience  to,  166. 

Holy  See,  Devotion  of  American  Cath¬ 
olics  to,  182. 

Holy  See,  and  Italy  (1866),  208. 

Holy  See,  and  scientific  progress,  269. 
Holy  See,  needs  of,  270. 

Holy  Trinity  Church,  Philadelphia,  15. 
Holy  Trinity  Church,  Philadelphia, 
Pastoral  Letter  to,  15. 

Holy  Writ,  knowledge  of,  274. 

Holydays  of  obligation,  11,  61. 

Home  and  Foreign  Missions,  262,  336. 
Home  Missions,  285. 

Home  virtues,  248. 

Home,  the  Christian,  247. 

Home,  protection  of,  313-314. 

Honours,  worldly,  75. 

Horsemen,  of  Apocalypse,  22. 
Hospitality,  of  the  Clergy,  117. 
Hospitals,  187. 

Hostile  attitude  towards  Church,  124. 
Hostility,  to  Church,  207. 

Household,  care  of  the,  194. 

Hughes,  Bishop,  170,  180. 

Hughes,  Archbishop,  and  Native  Amer¬ 
icanism,  161,  195;  mission  to  France, 
197. 

Human  respect,  43. 

Human  science,  46. 

Human  liberty,  nature  of,  308. 

Human  labor,  dignity  of,  321. 
Humanitarianism,  310. 

Humility,  69. 

I 

“I  am  the  true  vine,”  105. 

Idleness,  9. 

Immaculate  Conception,  Dogma  of,  162, 
172,  176-177. 

Immaculate  Conception,  National  Shrine 
of,  279-280. 

Immigrants,  care  of,  326. 

Immigration  (1840),  136. 

Immodest  fiction,  93. 

Incarnation,  mystery  of,  176,  201,  279. 
Incidents,  non-Catholic  misrepresenta¬ 
tion,  87-89. 

Incorporation,  of  Ecclesiastical  prop¬ 
erty,  33-34,  109,  206,  242. 

Increase,  of  piety,  4. 

Increase,  of  true  religion,  4. 


Index 


349 


Increase,  of  prayer,  66. 

Increase,  of  American  Church,  228. 
Increase,  of  vocations,  290. 

Indecent  falsehoods,  94. 

Independence,  of  the  Papacy,  173. 
Independence,  of  civil  society,  205. 
Indian  Missions  (1840),  148,  157-158. 
Indians,  missions  among,  60. 

Indian  and  Negro  Missions,  286. 

Indians  and  Negroes,  263. 

Indifferent,  Catholics,  73. 

Indifferentism,  religious,  36,  189. 
Indissolubility  of  marriage,  248. 
Indulgences,  for  August  15,  14. 
Industrial  Schools,  216. 

Industrial  relations,  317. 

Industrial  conflicts,  318. 

Industrial  disturbances,  319. 

Industry,  lessons  of,  9. 

Infallibility  of  the  Church,  130. 
Infallibility,  doctrine  of,  233. 
Infallibility,  American  attacks  on,  234. 
Infidel  books,  231. 

Infidelity,  14. 

Influence  of  woman,  316. 

Ingratitude,  of  children,  26. 

Innocence,  25 ;  of  youth,  57. 

Inspiration  of  Holy  Scripture,  28-29. 
Instaurare  omnia  in  Christo ,  267. 
Institution,  of  the  Sacraments,  70. 
Institutions,  support  of  religious,  167. 
Instruction,  Christian,  of  youth,  2. 
Instruction,  religious,  3. 

Instruction,  books  of,  73. 

Instruction  of  the  young,  57-58,  152-153. 
Instructions  to  children,  4. 
Insubordination,  157. 

Insults,  to  the  Church,  50. 

Intemperance,  36,  149;  evils  of,  155, 
255. 

Intercession,  of  Mary,  279. 

Interests,  of  the  Church,  198. 

Interference,  foreign,  in  American 
Church  affairs,  17. 

Interference  with  religious  rights,  206. 
International  relations,  329. 

International  peace,  330. 

Interpretation,  of  Holy  Scripture,  29,  67, 
291. 

Intolerance,  religious,  325. 

Ireland,  Faith  of,  23. 

Ireland,  generosity  of  Catholics  to 
Church  in  United  States,  60. 

Ireland,  Catholic  University  of,  191. 
Ireland,  Archbishop,  226. 

Irish  Hierarchy  and  Catholic  education, 
191. 

Irreligion,  in  American  schools,  230. 
Israel,  and  Amelec,  65. 

Italy  and  Holy  See  (1866),  208. 

Italy,  political  changes  in  (1866),  208. 

J 

Jansenists,  232. 

Japan,  bishop  of,  at  Third  Plenary 
Council,  226. 

Jerusalem,  Council  of,  177. 

Jesuit  Missions,  in  Far  West,  60. 

Jesus,  Name  of,  72. 


Jesus  Christ,  second  Adam,  63. 

Jesus  Christ,  merits  of,  65. 

Jewish  law,  of  divine  service,  10. 

Jews,  discipline  of  the,  76. 

Jordan,  70,  71. 

Journalists,  Catholic,  291. 

Joys,  of  heaven,  107. 

Jubilee,  of  Pius  VIII,  35. 

Juncker,  Bishop,  225. 

Jus  Patronatus,  33-34,  108. 

Justice,  suffering  for,  86. 

Justice,  306. 

K 

Kenrick,  Archbishop  Francis  Patrick, 
79,  119,  149,  160,  169,  180,  181,  195. 
Kenrick,  Archbishop  Peter  Richard, 
161,  169,  171,  180,  182,  195,  224. 
Kingdom  of  God,  9,  271. 

Knights  of  Columbus  Committee  on 
War  Activities,  295. 

Knowledge,  of  the  priest,  239. 
Knowledge,  and  error,  244. 

Knowledge,  religious,  274. 
Know-nothingism,  197. 

Kulturkampf,  233. 

L 

Labour,  Unions,  202. 

Labour  question,  nature  of,  319. 

Labour  and  Capital,  320. 

Labour  unions,  benefits  of,  322. 

Labours,  of  American  hierarchy,  32. 
Laity,  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  (1829),  17. 
Laity,  rebellious,  17. 

Laity,  the,  218. 

Lamy,  Bishop,  196,  225. 

Lascivious  tales,  93. 

Last  Supper,  the,  174. 

Lavialle,  Bishop,  225. 

Law,  Jewish,  on  divine  worship,  10. 
Law,  obedience  to,  200. 

Law,  its  charity,  309. 

Law  of  the  Gospel,  310. 

Law  of  God,  329. 

Laws  of  fasting  and  abstinence,  36. 

Law  of  discipline,  71. 

Law  against  religious  liberty,  82. 
Lefevre,  Bishop,  160,  169,  180,  195,  224. 
Legislation,  of  the  Seven  Provincial 
Councils,  182. 

Legislation,  of  Third  Plenary  Council 
(1884),  265. 

Leo  XIII,  226,  234,  237,  257,  261. 
Leopoldine  Association,  60,  147. 
Leopoldine  Association,  letter  of  thanks 
to  (1840),  120. 

Leprosy,  spiritual,  70. 

Lessons,  of  industry,  9. 

Lessons  of  the  War  (1914-1919),  297. 
Letter  to  Pope  Pius  VIII  (Oct.  24,  1829), 
18. 

Letter  to  Bishops  of  Poland,  120. 

Letter  to  Leopoldine  Association,  120. 
Letter,  Pastoral,  to  the  Clergy  (1829), 
39-59. 

Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1833,  60-79. 

Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1837,  80-119. 


Index 


350 


Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1840,  120-150. 

Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1843,  151-160. 

Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1846,  162-175. 

Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1849,  171-180. 

Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1852,  181-196. 

Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1866,  197-225. 

Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1884,  226-264. 

Letter,  Pastoral,  of  1919,  265-340. 
Lewdness,  3. 

Libels,  obscene,  93. 

Libels,  compilers  of,  94. 

Libels  on  the  clergy,  122. 

“Liberal,”  attacks  Bishop  Carroll’s 
Pastoral,  2. 

Liberalism,  false,  36,  233. 

Liberia,  mission  to,  157-158. 

Liberty,  religious,  in  the  United  States, 

2. 


Liberty,  religious,  37,  81,  82,  155,  230. 
Liberty,  laws  against  religious,  82. 
Library,  of  the  priest,  47. 

Life,  meaning  of,  62-63. 

Light  of  the  world,  the  clergy,  41. 

Light  of  faith,  64. 

Limited  divorce,  314. 

Lingard,  Dr.  John,  28. 

Literature,  lascivious,  93. 

Literature,  anti-Catholic,  114. 

Literature,  Catholic,  291. 

Liturgy,  knowledge  of,  47. 

Liturgy  of  the  Church,  53-54,  73. 

Living  wage,  322. 

Loras,  Bishop,  149,  160,  169,  180,  195. 
Lord’s  Day,  8. 

Losses,  in  American  Church,  21,  113. 
Loughlin,  Bishop,  225. 

Love,  of  God,  3;  of  truth,  83;  for 
enemies,  97,  154. 

Love,  of  pleasure,  277. 

Loyalty  to  the  faith,  37. 

Loyalty,  Catholic,  to  United  States,  235. 
Ludwigmissionsverein,  260. 

Luers,  Bishop,  225. 

Luther,  232. 

Luxury,  230. 

Lynch,  Bishop,  225. 

Lyons,  Society  of,  166-167. 


M 

Magni  Nobis  gaudii  (1889),  283. 
Maintenance,  of  clergy,  1,  6,  75,  185. 
Maintenance,  of  pastors,  10. 

Maintenance,  of  poor,  10. 

Maintenance,  of  Seminaries,  23. 

Man,  duties  of,  99. 

Man,  pride  of,  151. 

Manners,  purity  of,  3. 

Mareehal,  Archbishop,  16;  and  a  Na¬ 
tional  Council,  17. 

Maria  Monk,  vile  book  by,  80. 

Marital  separation,  248. 

Marital  relations,  311. 

Marriage,  Sacrament  of,  106. 

Marriage,  Christian,  136-137. 

Marriage,  mixed,  137-138. 

Marriage,  end  of,  247,  311. 


Martin,  Bishop,  225. 

Mary,  the  Mother  of  God,  176. 

Mary,  intercession  of,  179. 

Mary,  confidence  in,  179. 

Mary,  the  Mother  of  God,  279. 

Mary,  unique  privilege  of,  279. 

Mary  and  Martha,  221. 

Maryland,  Catholics  in,  18. 

Masonic  societies,  257. 

Mass,  Sunday,  attendance  at,  2,  8,  11; 
excuses  for  absence,  8;  once  a 
month,  8;  celebration  of,  10;  cere¬ 
monial  of,  10;  collections  at,  10;  of¬ 
ferings  at,  division  of,  10;  on  Sun¬ 
days,  61;  prayers  at,  73;  offerings  at, 
109;  Holy  Sacrifice  of,  100,  228,  277; 
attendance  at,  256. 

Massachusetts,  outrage  in,  87-89;  con¬ 
tempt  of,  91-92;  and  the  outrage  at 
Charlestown,  121-122. 

Masters,  and  servants,  118. 

Materialism,  303. 

Matrimony,  210. 

Matrimony,  false  and  degrading  theories 
of,  211. 

Matthews,  Rev.  Wm.,  administrator  of 
Philadelphia,  38. 

Maximum  illud  (1919),  287. 

Meaning  of  life,  62-63. 

Means,  efficacious,  of  grace,  65. 
Meditation,  duty  of,  69. 

Meditation,  necessity  of,  44-45. 
Meekness,  in  the  priesthood,  57. 

Meeting,  first  annual  meeting  of  hi¬ 
erarchy  (September,  1919),  265. 
Memorial  Volume  of  the  Third  Plenary 
Council  of  Baltimore,  39,  227. 

Mercy,  of  God,  106. 

Merits  of  Christ,  64,  65. 

Mexican  War,  162,  171. 

Miasma  of  anti-Catholic  fanaticism,  80. 
Middle  Ages,  economic  system  of,  323. 
Miege,  Bishop,  196. 

Miles,  Bishop,  149,  160,  169,  180,  195. 
Militia  of  Christ,  52. 

Ministers,  of  sanctuary,  6. 

Ministry,  preparation  for,  6. 

Ministry,  of  the  Sacraments,  48-49. 
Ministry,  candidates  for,  74. 
Misrepresentations,  of  Catholic  doc¬ 
trines,  28,  78,  81,  84,  87-89. 

Mission,  of  the  Catholic  press,  252. 
Mission,  of  the  Church,  273. 

Missions,  Congregation  of  the,  19. 
Missions,  Jesuit,  in  Far  West,  60. 
Missions,  among  Indians,  60. 

Missions,  home  and  foreign,  262. 
Missions,  home,  285. 

Missions,  Indian,  157-158. 

Missions,  Liberian,  157-158. 

Missions,  foreign,  287. 

Missions,  establishment  of,  187. 

Missouri,  laws  on  taxation,  207. 

Mixed  marriages,  ceremonies  of,  120, 
139. 

Mixed  marriages,  137-138,  212,  248. 

Mob,  anti-Catholic,  and  outrage  at 
Charlestown,  Mass.,  80. 

Mob,  violence,  89. 


Index 


351 


Monasteries,  in  the  United  States 
(1829),  18. 

Monk,  Maria,  80. 

Monterey,  See  of,  171. 

Morality,  Christian,  4. 

Morality,  principles  of,  47,  204. 
Morality,  corruption  of,  93. 

Morality,  code  of,  104. 

Morality,  basis  of,  304. 

Morals,  4. 

Morning,  prayer,  3. 

Morning  and  evening  prayers,  248. 
Mortification,  75. 

Moses,  65. 

Mother  of  Christ,  279. 

Mother  of  God,  Patroness  of  America,  1. 
Mother  of  God,  devotion  to,  13. 

Mother  of  God,  special  Patroness  of 
United  States,  13,  168-169. 

Mother  of  God,  imitation  of  virtues  of, 
14. 

Mothers,  Catholic,  314. 

Mount  Benedict,  Convent  of,  87. 
Movement,  the  Oxford,  163-164. 

Mutual  respect  of  Catholics  and  non- 
Catholics,  81. 

Murderers,  95. 

McCloskey,  Bishop  (Albany),  180,  195. 
McCloskey,  Archbishop  (Cardinal),  224. 
McElrone,  39. 

McFarland,  Bishop,  225. 

McGill,  Bishop,  196,  225. 

N 

Naaman,  the  Syrian,  70. 

Nadab,  53. 

Name,  Holy,  respect  for,  3. 

Name,  of  America,  82. 

Name  of  God,  rash  use  of,  153. 

Name  of  Jesus,  72,  101. 

Napoleon  I,  211. 

Napoleon  III,  197. 

Nashville,  See  of,  120. 
Native-Americanism,  161,  197. 

Native  American  riots,  150. 

Natchez,  See  of,  120. 

National  Catholic  Feast  Day  (Aug.  15), 
14. 

National  Catholic  War  Council,  295. 
National  Catholic  Welfare  Council,  296. 
National  clergy,  necessity  of  (1829),  22. 
National  conditions,  324. 

National  Council,  assembly  of,  184. 
National  Councils,  199. 

National  Shrine  of  the  Immaculate  Con¬ 
ception,  279-280. 

Nature,  frailty  of,  3. 

Nature,  of  Church  government,  108. 
Neale,  Archbishop,  16. 

Necessity  of  vocations  to  the  priesthood, 
4. 

Necessity,  of  priests  (1791),  11. 
Necessity,  of  national  clergy  (1829),  22. 
Necessity,  of  penance,  98. 

Need,  of  American  born  priests,  4. 

Need  of  priests  (1829),  23. 

Need  of  priests  (1833),  61. 

Need,  of  sufficient  churches  (1833),  61. 


Need,  of  priests,  72,  73,  112-113,  239. 
Need,  of  churches  (1852),  187. 

Needs,  of  the  American  Church,  187. 
Needs  of  the  Holy  See,  270. 

Neglect,  of  the  dead,  12. 

Neglect,  of  prayer,  43. 

Neglect,  of  Catholic  children,  216. 
Neglect,  of  the  Sacraments,  218. 
Negligence,  priestly,  54. 

Negro  and  Indian  Missions,  286. 
Neighbour,  edification  of,  152. 
Neighbourly  charity,  99. 

Negligence,  of  Catholics,  97. 

Nestorius,  176. 

Neumann,  Bishop,  196. 

“New  Commandement,”  the,  310. 

New  dioceses,  erection  of,  18. 

New  Mexico,  Vicariate  of,  171. 

New  Orleans,  Diocese  of  (1829),  39. 

New  Orleans,  province  of  (1850),  181. 
New  York,  Diocese  of,  16. 

New'  York,  province  of,  181. 

New  York  Weekly  Register,  61. 
Newspaper,  Catholic,  68. 

Newspapers,  213. 

Newspapers,  indecently  illustrated,  249. 
Nominations,  to  vacant  Sees,  17,  60. 
Non-Catholic  pamphlets,  attacks  from, 
120. 

Non-Catholic  education,  danger  of,  125. 
Non-Catholic  text-books,  134. 
Non-Catholic  denominations  and  reli¬ 
gious  education,  246. 

Non-sectarian  press,  attacks  from,  120. 
Number  of  Catholics  (1791),  11. 

Nuptial  Mass,  the,  212. 

0 

Obedience,  to  Will  of  God,  3;  habits 
of,  3;  to  parents,  3;  to  the  Church, 
128;  to  Christ,  151;  to  laws,  154;  to 
Church  authority,  157;  to  Holy  See, 
166;  to  bishops,  183;  law',  203;  to 
Church,  200;  to  God,  305. 

Object,  of  Councils,  199. 

Oblations,  religious,  division  of,  6-7. 
Obligation,  of  Sunday  Mass,  8. 
Obligation,  of  the  ballot,  142. 

Obscene  libels,  against  Church,  93. 
Occasions,  of  sin,  219. 

Odin,  Bishop,  161,  169,  180,  195,  224. 
Offerings,  6,  185. 

Offerings,  of  the  faithful,  10. 

Offerings,  at  Mass,  division  of,  10. 
Offerings,  at  Holy  Mass,  189. 

Old  age,  support  in,  4. 

Old  Catholics,  schism  of,  233. 

One  fold  and  one  shepherd,  204. 
Opinion,  and  faith,  203. 

Opposition,  to  vocations,  75. 

Order  of  Friars  Preacher,  19. 

Order,  social,  190. 

Orders  Holy,  candidates  for,  4. 

Oregon,  Territory,  171. 

Oregon,  Archiepiscopal  See  of,  171. 
Ordination  of  the  priest,  47. 

Organized  bands  of  unbelievers,  94. 
Origin,  of  authority,  307. 


352 


Index 


Original  Sin,  effects  of,  63,  98. 
Ornaments,  of  Church,  10. 

Orphanages,  121,  187. 

Orphans,  care  of,  116. 

“Our  Father,”  the,  101. 

Our  higher  education,  329. 

Outrage,  on  Convent,  at  Charlestown, 
80,  87-89. 

Outrages  on  Catholics,  197. 

Oxford  Movement,  the,  159-160,  163-164. 
O’Connell,  Bishop  E.,  225. 

O’Connor,  Bishop  (Pittsburgh),  169,  180, 
195. 

O’Gorman,  Bishop  J.  M.,  225. 

O’Beilly,  Bishop  (Hartford),  195. 

P 

Papacy,  divine  institution  of,  174. 
Papacy,  165-166,  174-175. 

Papacy,  independence  of,  173. 

Papacy,  spiritual  authority  of,  173. 
Paraclete,  29,  183. 

Parish  schools,  needs  of,  242. 

Parish  and  parish  schools,  246. 
Parochial  School  System  (1829),  17. 
Parochial  School  System  (1833),  61. 
Parochial  Schools,  215. 

Parents,  obedience  to,  3. 

Parents,  love  for  children,  24-25. 

Parents,  duties  of,  99,  100,  106,  217. 
Parents,  educational  duties  of,  153. 
Parents,  of  priests,  189. 

Passions,  control  of,  190. 

Pastoral,  of  Bishop  Carroll  attacked  by 
“Liberal,”  2. 

Pastoral  Letter  by  Bishop  Carroll 
(1792),  2-13. 

Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Congregation  of 
Trinity  Church,  in  Phila.  (1797),  15. 
Pastoral  of  American  bishops  (Novem¬ 
ber  15,  1810),  16. 

Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Roman  Catholics 
of  Virginia  (September  28,  1819),  16. 
Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity  (1829),  17, 
19-38. 

Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  (1829), 
39-59. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  1833,  60-79. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  1837,  80-119. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  1840,  120-150. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  1843,  150-161. 

Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  and  the 
members  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  Amer¬ 
ica  (1844),  attack  on  Catholics  in,  161. 
Pastoral  Letter  of  1846,  162-170. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  1849,  171-180. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  1852,  181-196. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  1866,  197-225. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  1884,  226-264,  280. 

Pastoral  Letter  of  1919,  265-340. 

Pastoral  responsibility  in  education,  25. 
Pastoral  rights,  240-241. 

Pastors,  education  of,  4;  resident,  ne¬ 
cessity  of,  8;  virtuous,  9;  main¬ 
tenance  of,  10;  and  their  flocks,  121; 
support  of,  272. 

Patience  in  tribulation,  86-87. 


Patience,  168. 

Patrimony  of  Peter,  172. 

Patriotism,  143. 

Patriotism,  practical,  192. 

Patronage,  right  of,  33-34. 

Patronage,  of  the  Mother  of  God,  168. 
Patroness,  of  America,  1. 

Pauline  privilege,  138. 

Peace,  of  Christ,  50,  95-96. 

Peace,  thanksgiving  for,  268. 

Peace,  value  of,  294. 

Peace,  international,  330. 

Penance,  sacrament  of,  14,  71,  106,  278; 
whitened  garments  of,  72;  works  of, 
76;  necessity  of,  98;  for  sins,  99. 
Pentecost,  103,  126. 

Perfection,  Christian,  79,  87. 

Perfection,  sacerdotal,  41. 

Peril,  of  secret  societies,  205. 

Periodicals,  249. 

Persecution,  of  Catholics  in  British 
Isles,  18. 

Persecution,  Catholic,  37. 

Persecution,  of  the  Church,  81-82. 
Persecution,  method  of  in  United  States, 
84. 

Persecution,  of  Apostles,  95. 

Persecution,  of  the  Church,  140. 
Persecution,  in  Prussia,  139. 
Perseverance,  173. 

Personal  holiness,  168. 

Peter,  patrimony  of,  172. 

Peter,  primacy  of,  174. 

Philadelphia,  rebellious  trustees  of,  15. 
Philadelphia,  Diocese  of,  16. 

Picnics,  219. 

Piety,  4,  7,  14. 

Piety,  increase  of,  4. 

Piety,  advancement  of,  151. 

Pillar  and  ground  of  truth,  103,  151. 
Pious  Associations,  for  prayer  for  the 
dead,  13. 

Pius  VI,  251. 

Pius  VII,  and  See  of  Baltimore  (1808), 
18. 

Pius  VII,  211. 

Pius  VIII,  letter  to  (October  24,  1829), 
18. 

Pius  VIII,  Jubilee  of,  35. 

Pius  IX,  172,  181,  182,  236. 

Pius  IX,  liberal  policy  of,  172-173. 
Pleasure,  love  of,  271. 

Pleasure,  of  the  world,  64. 

Pledge,  temperance,  155. 

Plenary  Councils,  199. 

Plenary  Councils,  authority  of,  199. 
Plenary  Council,  First,  171,  181. 

Plenary  Council,  Second,  197. 

Plenary  Council,  Third,  226. 

Poland,  letter  to  bishops  of,  120. 
Polygamy,  211. 

Political  supremacy,  in  religion,  91. 
Political  power,  true  object  of,  327. 
Politics,  clean,  326,  327. 

Portier,  Bishop,  79,  149,  160,  169,  180, 
195. 

Poor,  relief  of,  7. 

Poor,  maintenance  of,  10. 

Pope,  spiritual  supremacy  of,  91. 


Index 


353 


Pope,  collection  for,  175. 

Pope,  aid  for,  208. 

Pope,  attacks  on  the,  236. 

Pope  Gelasius,  209. 

Pope  Gregory  XVI,  120. 

Pope  Leo  XIII,  267,  269,  282,  285,  308, 
317,  319,  320,  321,  322,  323,  324. 

Pope  Pius  X,  270,  283. 

Pope  Benedict  XV,  267,  279,  283,  302, 
308,  319,  324,  331. 

Pope  Benedict  XV,  and  the  World  War, 
331. 

Popular  instruction,  Church’s  desire  for, 
243. 

Poverty,  in  the  priesthood,  55. 

Poverty,  causes  of,  318. 

Power,  of  example,  107. 

Power,  temporal,  172-173. 

Power,  of  the  press,  213. 

Power,  of  the  State,  307. 

Practice,  of  virtue,  70. 

Prayer,  morning  and  evening,  3. 

Prayer,  7,  65-66,  156,  276,  304. 

Prayer,  exercise  of,  8. 

Prayer,  spirit  of,  in  the  priest,  42-43. 
Prayer,  neglect  of,  43. 

Prayer,  incense  of,  66. 

Prayer,  of  Elias,  66. 

Prayer,  duty  of,  73. 

Prayer,  meaning  and  value  of,  276. 
Praj^er-books,  30. 

Prayers,  for  the  dead,  1,  12,  277. 

Prayers,  at  Mass,  73. 

Prayers,  formalism  in,  66. 

Prayers,  for  conversions,  165,  268. 
Preaching,  46,  68,  67. 

Preaching,  the  Gospel,  101. 

Preaching,  duty  of,  118. 

Preaching,  divine  commission  of,  202. 
Precept,  of  Easter,  71. 

Prejudice,  against  the  Church,  18. 
Prejudice,  religious,  82. 

Preparation,  for  ministry,  6. 

Preparation,  for  eternity,  79. 

Preparation,  for  holy  orders,  69. 

Presence  of  God,  277. 

Preservation,  of  religion,  4. 

Press,  the  Protestant  (1829),  28. 

Press,  attacks  in,  on  Church,  78. 

Press,  the  Catholic,  support  of,  114. 
Press,  attacks  on  Church,  123. 

Press,  the  Catholic,  68,  213,  252,  291. 
Press,  the  public,  328. 

Pretensions,  of  the  trustees,  108. 
Primacy  of  Peter,  174. 

Primitive  Christians,  6. 

Prince  of  the  Apostles,  183. 

Prisoner  of  the  Vatican,  236. 

Priest,  in  the  tribunal  of  penance,  42-43. 
Priest,  spirit  of  prayer  in  the,  42-43. 
Priest,  ignorance  in  the,  43. 

Priest,  a  man  of  prayer,  43. 

Priest,  as  messenger  of  heaven,  43. 
Priest,  mediator  between  God  and  man, 
44. 

Priest,  the  library  of  the,  47. 

Priest,  ordination  of,  47-48. 

Priest  and  people,  56. 

Priest,  knowledge  of,  239, 


Priesthood,  vocation  to,  1 ;  vocation  to, 
necessity  of,  4;  source  of  authority 
in,  7;  in  America,  largely  from  Eu¬ 
ropean  countries  (1829),  22;  in  Amer¬ 
ica,  23,  47-48,  74,  289;  dignity  of,  41; 
enemies  of,  57;  vocation  to,  74-75;  re¬ 
quirements  for,  75 ;  vocations  to  the, 
117,  121,  135-136,  217;  ideals  of,  218; 
aspirants  to,  238;  training  for,  290. 

Priestly,  negligence,  54;  zeal,  54-55; 
poverty,  55;  duties,  69;  ideals,  220. 

Priests,  American-born,  need  of,  4 ; 
from  foreign  countries,  4;  necessity 
of  (1791),  11;  in  the  United  States 
(1790),  21;  need  of  (1829),  23;  at 
deathbed,  52;  among  the  poor,  52; 
need  of,  72,  73,  112,  113;  support  of, 
110,  241;  education  of,  188;  parents 
of,  189;  and  bishops,  240-241. 

Pride  of  life,  its  danger,  25. 

Pride,  of  man,  151. 

Principles,  of  faith,  4;  of  morality, 
204;  of  social  relations,  269;  of  Cath¬ 
olic  schools,  280;  of  sound  education, 
332-339. 

Private  judgment,  doctrine  of,  132. 

Private  judgment,  folly  of,  203. 

Privilege,  the  Pauline,  138. 

Problem  of  education  in  the  United 
States,  332-333. 

Profession,  of  faith,  public,  151-152. 

Professors,  of  Seminary,  support  of,  4. 

Profiteering,  306. 

Profligacy,  of  enemies  of  the  Church,  92. 

Progress,  of  science,  67. 

Progress,  of  religion,  in  the  United 
States,  80. 

Progress,  of  the  Faith  (1840),  121. 

Progress  of  the  Faith  (1846),  163-164. 

Progress,  of  the  Church  in  the  United 
States  (1866-1884),  226. 

Progress,  of  the  Church  in  the  United 
States  (1884),  237. 

Progress,  of  the  Church  in  the  United 
States  (1789-1884),  238. 

Progress,  of  the  Church  (1884-1919),  268. 

Progress,  spiritual  (1884-1919),  271. 

Progress,  material,  293. 

Prohibition,  145. 

Promulgation,  of  Conciliar  decrees,  199. 

Propaganda  Fide,  property  of,  236. 

Propaganda  Fide,  and  the  Church  in 
America  (1908),  270. 

Property,  incorporation  of  ecclesiastical, 
33-34. 

Property,  Church,  and  State  Constitu¬ 
tions,  34. 

Property,  administration  of  Church,  185. 

Property,  sources  of,  190. 

Property,  right  of  Church  to  possess, 
206. 

Proselytism,  152. 

Protectories,  Catholic,  216. 

Protestant,  religious  journals  (1829),  28. 

Protestant,  misrepresentations  of  Cath¬ 
olic  doctrines,  28. 

Protestant,  pulpits,  attacks  from,  93. 

Protestant,  versions,  of  the  Bible,  132. 

Protestant,  intolerance,  152. 


354 


Index 


Protestant,  Revolt,  of  sixteenth  century, 
164. 

Provinces,  ecclesiastical  of  United  States 
(1847),  171. 

Provinces,  ecclesiastical,  New  Orleans, 
Cincinnati,  New  York  (1850),  181. 

Provincial  Councils,  first  seven  of  Balti¬ 
more,  60. 

Provincial  Councils,  first  seven  of  Balti¬ 
more,  as  national  Councils,  60. 

Provincial  Councils,  between  1829-49,  60. 

Provincial  Councils,  of  Baltimore, 
authority  of,  223. 


Provincial, 

Council, 

Second, 

of 

Balti- 

more,  61, 

80. 

Provincial, 

Council, 

Third, 

of 

Balti- 

more,  80. 
Provincial, 

Council, 

Fourth, 

of 

Balti- 

more  (1840),  120. 

Provincial, 

Council, 

Fifth, 

of 

Balti- 

more  (1843),  150. 

Provincial,  Council,  Sixth  (1846),  162. 
Provincial,  Council,  Seventh  (1849),  171. 
Prussia,  persecution  of,  139 ;  Catholics 
in,  233. 

Psalms,  recitation  of,  44. 

Public  worship,  support  of,  6,  7. 

Public  school,  anti-Catholicism  in  text¬ 
books  of,  28. 

Public  press,  113,  328. 

Public  libraries,  114. 

Public  schools,  Catholic  children  in,  120. 
Public  schools,  Bible  in,  132. 

Public  schools,  education,  sectarian  ef¬ 
forts  in,  152. 

Public  schools,  office,  327. 

Public  schools,  religion  and,  246. 
Publication,  vile,  of  Rebecca  Reed,  80. 
Publications,  support  of  Catholic,  67. 
Publishers,  Catholic,  114. 

Pulpit,  Protestant,  attacks  from,  93. 
Pulpit,  attacks  on  Church,  123. 

Purcell,  Archbishop,  79,  119,  149,  160, 
169,  180,  195,  224. 

Purity  of  manners,  3. 

Purity  of  morals,  190. 

Purity,  destruction  of,  93. 

Purity  of  faith,  190. 

Purposes,  of  Catholic  societies,  284. 

Q 

Quarter,  Bishop,  169. 

Queen  of  Angels,  15. 

R 

Racial  assimilation,  293. 

Radicalism,  324. 

Rappe,  Bishop,  180,  195,  225. 

Rash  use,  of  the  Name  of  God,  153. 
Reading  the  Scriptures,  45-46. 

Reading,  spiritual,  67;  dangerous,  94; 

value  of,  118,  249;  taste  for,  250. 
Rebellion,  and  force,  308. 

Rebellious  clerics  and  laymen,  17. 
Reception,  of  Sacraments,  11. 
Reconciliation,  ministry  of,  201. 
Reconstruction,  world,  270. 

Redemption,  fruits  of,  104. 


Reduction,  of  armaments,  331. 

Reformation,  in  England,  210. 

Refutation,  of  slanders,  87. 

Relations,  industrial,  317. 

Relations,  of  Church  and  State,  205. 

Relations,  social,  311. 

Relations,  social,  with  non-Catholics, 
37. 

Relations,  international,  329. 

Relief,  of  poor,  7. 

Religion,  habits  of,  3,  7;  true,  in  this 
country,  4 ;  preservation  and  increase 
of,  4;  necessity  of  instruction  in,  8; 
progress  of,  in  the  United  States,  80; 
and  political  supremacy,  91 ;  and 
science,  151,  239;  and  secular  in¬ 
struction,  190;  and  morality,  244; 
exclusion  from  the  school,  245;  and 
practical  life,  245;  banishment  from 
school,  246;  importance  of,  308. 

Religious,  liberty  in  United  States,  2; 
instruction,  3;  education,  advantages 
of,  4;  oblations,  of  the  faithful,  6; 
communities  of  women  (1829),  19; 
indifference,  36-67 ;  error,  37 ;  liberty, 
37,  81;  freedom  in  Britain,  83;  prej¬ 
udice,  82;  liberty,  laws  against,  82; 
rights,  82;  duties,  of  the  Catholic, 
97-98;  men,  99;  instructions,  support 
of,  107;  Orders,  of  women,  135; 
houses,  of  women,  121 ;  sects,  rise  of, 
129-130;  liberty,  interference  in,  207; 
communities,  221 ;  education,  and  the 
State,  246;  duties,  271;  Orders,  at 
Catholic  University  of  America,  283; 
intolerance,  325. 

Remission  of  sins,  101. 

Remoteness  of  Churches,  97. 

Rendering  good  for  evil,  78,  124. 

Repentance,  true,  3. 

Rerum  novarum  (1891),  317. 

Rese,  Bishop,  79. 

Respect  for  ceremonies,  7. 

Respect,  mutual,  of  Catholics  and  non- 
Catholics,  81. 

Responsibility  of  parents,  25. 

Rest,  for  weary  souls,  71. 

Revealed  truth,  67,  101. 

Revelation,  deposit  of,  151,  274,  323. 

Reverence,  for  Councils,  199. 

Reverence,  for  the  Bible,  274. 

Reviling,  the  Church,  78,  95. 

Revival  of  bigotry  (1852),  197. 

Revolution,  the  French,  167. 

Revolt,  Protestant,  of  sixteenth  century, 
164. 

Rewards,  spiritual,  9. 

Reynolds,  Bishop,  170,  180,  195. 

Rich,  contributions  of  the,  9. 

Riches,  32,  62,  118;  of  God’s  grace,  98; 
danger  of,  143;  uncertainty  of,  159. 

Right  of  patronage,  33-34. 

Right  of  Church,  to  possess  property, 
206. 

Right  of  parents,  to  give  religious  train¬ 
ing  to  children,  334. 

Right  of  child  to  receive  religious  train¬ 
ing,  334. 


Index 


355 


Right  of  child  to  receive  religious 
training,  334. 

Right  of  Church  to  educate,  335. 

Right  to  educate,  335. 

Rights,  religious,  82. 

Rights,  of  pastors,  240-241. 

Rights,  of  the  clergy,  241. 

Rights,  of  the  family,  306. 

Rights,  of  State  in  education,  337. 

Riots,  Native- American  (1844),  161. 

Rise  of  religious  sects,  129-130. 

Rocky  Mountains,  missions  in,  157-158. 
Rogation  Days,  77. 

Rome,  unity  with,  20. 

■Rome,  city  of,  174. 

Rome,  centre  of  spiritual  authority,  184. 
Roman  States,  173. 

Rosecrans,  Bishop,  225. 

-Rosati,  Bishop,  38,  59,  79,  119. 

Ruler,  God  the  Supreme,  304. 

Rules,  for  clerical  life,  49-50. 

Ryan,  Archbishop,  226. 

S 

Sacerdotal  perfection,  4. 

Sacrament,  of  Penance,  14,  71,  106,  146, 
278. 

Sacrament,  of  Confirmation,  105. 
Sacrament,  of  Extreme  Unction,  106. 
Sacrament,  of  Holy  Eucharist,  140. 
Sacrament,  of  Matrimony,  210. 

Sacrament,  of  Holy  Orders,  106. 
Sacraments,  frequentation  of,  3;  recep¬ 
tion  of,  7,  11,  156;  administration  of, 
20;  ministry  of,  48-49,  51,  277;  insti¬ 
tution  of,  70;  effect  of,  70;  disposi¬ 
tion  for  reception  of,  70;  elements 
of,  70;  grace  of,  70-71,  105;  efficacy 
of,  71 ;  neglect  of,  218. 

Sacred  Books,  defence  of  the,  229. 
Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  19. 

Sacred  Heart,  Confraternity  of,  260. 
Sacred  Scriptures,  study  of,  66. 

Sacred  Scriptures,  difficulty  of  interpre¬ 
tation,  66. 

Sacredness,  of  home,  313;  of  marriage, 
311. 

Sacrifice,  rites  of,  7. 

Sacrifice,  of  the  Mass,  100. 

Sacrifice,  and  the  Sacraments,  277. 
Sacristy,  ornaments  of,  109. 

Saints,  imitation  of,  45. 

Saints,  science  of,  190. 

Salvation,  necessity  of  working  for,  66. 
Salvation,  of  souls,  75. 

Salvation,  terms  of,  104. 

Sanctification,  101. 

Sanctity  of  marriage,  212. 

Sanctuary,  ministers  of,  6. 

Sanctuary  Societies,  201. 

Satan,  and  the  Church,  103. 

Scandal,  of  the  little  ones,  26. 

Scandal,  of  children,  107. 

Scandals,  49,  107,  179;  origin  of,  50-51. 
Scandals,  in  the  priesthood,  51. 

Scenes  of  violence,  in  Philadelphia 
(1844),  161. 

Scepticism,  in  education,  230. 


Schisms,  cause  of,  50. 

School  system,  parochial  (1833),  61. 
Schoolhouses,  187. 

School  controversy,  265. 

School,  fight  centres  on,  280. 

School  and  home,  336. 

Schools,  public,  text-books  in,  61. 
Schools,  theological,  in  the  United 
States,  113. 

Schools,  Catholic  (1852),  189-190. 
Schools,  establishment  of  Catholic 
(1852),  191. 

Schools,  industrial,  216. 

Schools,  Catholic,  271. 

Schools,  principles  of  Catholic,  280. 
Scholarships  in  Urban  College,  Rome 
(Propaganda  Fide),  113. 

Scholarships,  in  Seminaries,  240. 
Science,  and  the  Scriptures,  30. 

Science,  progress  of,  67,  293. 

Science  and  religion,  151,  239. 

Science,  of  the  sanctuary,  188. 

Science,  of  the  saints,  190. 

Science  and  faith,  273. 

Scientific  progress,  and  the  Holy  See, 
269. 

Scriptures,  interpretation  of  Holy,  45, 
274. 

Scriptures,  reading  the  Holy,  45-46. 
Scriptures,  canon  of,  131. 

Scriptures,  preservation  of,  131. 

Second  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore 
(1833),  61,  80. 

Second  Plenary  Council  (1866),  197. 
Second  Plenary  Council,  Apostolic  Dele¬ 
gate  to,  197. 

Second  Plenary  Council,  motive  of,  198. 
Second  Plenary  Council,  decrees  of,  198. 
Secret  Societies,  peril  of,  120,  140-141, 
153-154,  186,  205,  258. 

Secret  Societies,  pontifical  regulations 
on,  186. 

Sectarianism,  in  public  schools,  152, 
246. 

Sects,  results  of  so  many,  163,  204. 
Secular  Conditions  (1919),  292. 
Seduction,  worldly,  3. 

Seductions,  of  error,  14. 

Seductions,  of  the  world,  146. 

See  of  Peter,  62. 

See  of  Baltimore,  and  Pius  VII  (1808), 
18. 

See  of  Baltimore,  erection  of  (1789),  20. 
See  of  Monterey,  171. 

See,  archiepiscopal,  of  St.  Louis,  171. 
Sees,  nomination  to  vacant,  17,  60. 

Sees,  in  the  United  States  (1840),  120. 
Sees,  suffragan,  in  1847,  171. 

Sees,  new  (1866),  224. 

Seminary,  St.  Mary’s,  Baltimore, 
founded  (1791),  1. 

Seminary,  St.  Mary’s,  endowment  of,  4. 
Seminary,  ecclesiastical,  4. 

Seminaries,  professors  of,  support  of,  4. 
Seminaries,  in  United  States  (1829),  18. 
Seminaries,  maintenance  of,  23. 
Seminaries,  diocesan,  60. 

Seminaries,  creation  of,  117. 

Seminaries  in  1840,  121. 


356 


Index 


Seminaries,  support  of,  74,  135,  159,  187, 
217,  240,  282. 

Seminaries,  teachers  in,  290. 

Sermons,  Catholic,  73. 

Servants,  9;  and  masters,  118. 

Service  of  God,  98. 

Seventh  Provincial  Council  (1849),  171, 
172. 

Seward,  Secretary,  and  Archbishop 
Hughes,  197. 

Shea,  John  Gilinary,  1,  61,  198. 
Shipwreck,  spiritual,  273. 

Sickness,  support  in,  4. 

Simony,  11. 

Sin,  original,  eifects  of,  63,  98. 

Sins,  remission  of,  101. 

Sisterhoods,  135,  193,  221-222. 
Sisterhoods,  in  the  United  States  (1837), 

116. 

Sisters  of  Charity,  19,  116. 

Sisters  of  Loretto,  19. 

Six  months  in  a  Convent,  SO. 

Sixth  Provincial  Council  (1846),  162. 
Slanders,  refutation  of,  87. 

Slaves,  emancipated,  220. 

Sloth,  58. 

Sobriety,  118. 

Social  relations,  with  non-Catholics,  37. 
Social  order,  190. 

Social  revolution,  252. 

Social  ambition,  273. 

Social  relations,  311. 

Social  intercourse,  315. 

Social  wrongs,  remedies  for,  324. 
Socialism,  254. 

Societe  de  la  Propagation  de  la  Foi,  60. 
Societies,  secret,  140-141,  186. 

Societies,  Catholic,  increase  of  (1866), 

220. 

Societies,  Catholic,  284. 

Society,  Catholic  Publication,  214. 
Society  of  Jesus,  19. 

Society  of  Jesus,  missions  of,  157-158. 
Society  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith, 
23,  147,  166-167,  260,  288. 

Society  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith 
(Lyons),  and  aid  for  American 
Church,  191. 

Society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  220,  260. 
Sodality  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  260. 
Sophistry,  of  the  world,  72. 

Sound  education,  needs  of,  332. 

Source,  of  episcopal  authority,  103,  183. 
Sources  of  evil,  302. 

Spalding,  Archbishop  Martin  John,  180, 
197,  224,  226. 

Sparseness,  of  Catholic  flock  (1837),  97. 
Spirit  of  prayer,  in  the  priest,  42-43. 
Spirit  of  misrepresentation,  83. 

Spirit  of  the  world,  146. 

Spirit,  Catholic,  275. 

Spiritual  ministrations,  need  of,  8. 
Spiritual  rewards,  9. 

Spiritual  reading,  68. 

Spiritual  supremacy,  of  the  Pope,  91. 
Spiritual  negligence,  97. 

Spiritual  authority,  of  the  Papacy,  173. 
Spiritual  progress  (1881-1919),  271. 
Spiritual  shipwreck,  273. 


Spread,  of  the  Faith,  6. 

St.  Alplionsus  de  Ligouri,  178. 

St.  Anne,  Conception  of,  176. 

St.  Augustine,  12,  178. 

St.  Bernard  of  Clairvaux,  178. 

St.  Cyprian,  12;  on  Sisterhoods,  222. 

St.  Ephrem,  176. 

St.  Irenaeus,  177. 

St.  Mark  the  Evangelist,  77. 

St.  Monica,  12. 

St.  Paul,  200. 

St.  Stephen,  48,  96. 

St.  Thomas  of  Aquin,  178. 

St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  275. 

St.  Louis,  Diocese  of  (1829),  39. 

St.  Louis,  Archiepiscopal  See  of,  171. 

St.  Mary’s  Seminary,  Baltimore,  1. 

St.  Mary’s  Seminary,  endowment  for,  4. 
St.  Mary’s  Seminary,  Cheverus  and,  17. 
St.  Sulpice,  Congregation  of,  19. 

State  Constitutions,  and  Church  prop¬ 
erty,  34. 

State  supremacy,  in  religion,  90. 

State,  and  Church,  20,  205. 

State,  and  discipline,  230. 

State,  and  religious  education,  246. 

State,  claims  of,  306. 

State,  origin  of,  306. 

State,  end  of,  306. 

State,  powers  of,  307. 

State,  and  education,  337. 

State,  functions  of,  in  education,  337. 
State  rights  in  education,  337. 

State  monopoly,  in  education,  338. 

States  of  the  Church,  173. 

Statesman,  fame  of,  75. 

Status  of  American  hierarchy  (1829), 
39. 

Statutes,  of  Diocesan  Synod  of  Balti¬ 
more  (1791),  9-11. 

Stipends,  12,  111. 

Strikes,  319. 

Study,  46-47. 

Study,  of  Sacred  Scriptures,  66. 

Style,  46. 

Sufferings,  of  Christ,  76. 

Sufferings,  for  justice’  sake,  80. 
Sufferings,  relief  of,  310. 

Suffragan  bishops,  first  (1810),  16. 
Suffragan,  Sees  (1847),  171. 

Sulpicians,  4. 

Sunday  Mass,  attendance  at,  1,  61 ;  ob¬ 
ligation  of,  8;  attendance  at,  8;  re¬ 
spect  for,  253;  observance  of,  254. 
Sunday  Schools,  256. 

Supernatural  Grace,  64-65. 

Supplication,  65-66. 

Support,  financial,  of  the  Church,  1 ;  in 
sickness,  4;  in  old  age,  4;  of  public 
worship,  6,  7 ;  of  divine  worship,  9 ; 
of  Catholic  publications,  68;  of  the 
Church,  107-108;  of  priests,  110,  241; 
of  clergy,  167;  of  religious  institu¬ 
tions,  167;  of  seminaries,  135;  of 
Catholic  seminaries,  159;  of  pastors, 
272;  of  Catholic  schools,  282. 
Supremacy,  of  State  in  religion,  90. 
Supremacy,  spiritual  of  Pope,  91. 
“Survival  of  the  fittest,”  245. 


Index 


357 


Synod,  First  National,  of  Baltimore 
(Nov.  7-10,  1791),  1,  9. 

Synodal  Acts  (1791),  10. 

Swearing,  3. 

Switzerland,  persecution  in,  234. 

T 

Tabernacle  Society,  200-261. 

Taney,  Roger,  and  First  Provincial 
Council,  19. 

Taxation,  of  Church  property,  207. 
Teacher,  the  Catholic,  281. 

Temperance,  habits  of,  9. 

Temperance  societies,  120. 

Temperance,  in  drink,  168. 

Temporal  power,  172-173. 

Temporal  power,  nature  of,  184. 
Temporal  power,  of  the  papacy,  236. 
Temporal  conditions  (1884-1919),  292. 
Temporalities,  care  of  Church,  185. 
Temporals,  administration  of,  185. 
Temptations,  49,  55-56. 

Tenure,  of  ecclesiastical  property,  207. 
Tertullian,  12. 

Tertullian,  on  marriage,  212. 

Texas,  Vicariate  of,  171. 

Text-books,  Catholic,  28. 

Text-books,  anti-Catholic,  in  Public 
Schools,  28. 

Text-books,  in  use,  61. 

Text-books,  non-Catholic,  134. 
Thanksgiving,  for  peace,  268. 

The  Catholic  Press  (Hartford),  27. 

The  Catholic  Press,  252,  291. 

The  Catholic  University  of  America,  282. 
The  Jesuit  (1829),  27. 

“The  light  of  the  world,”  193. 

“The  Protestant  Association,”  92-93. 
Theological  schools,  in  the  United 
States,  113. 

Third  Plenary  Council,  226. 

Third  Plenary  Council,  purpose  of,  227. 
Third  Plenary  Council,  preparation  for 
(1886) ,  238. 

Third  Plenary  Council,  legislation  of, 
265,  266. 

Third  Plenary  Council,  Fathers  of,  284. 
Third  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore 
(1833),  80. 

Time,  waste  of,  69. 

Timon,  Bishop,  180,  195,  225. 

Total  abstinence,  135,  255. 

Tradition,  of  the  Church,  203. 

Traditions  of  the  Bible,  131-132. 
Training,  of  young  ecclesiastics,  4. 
Training,  of  children,  107. 

Treasures,  in  heaven,  78. 

Treaty,  of  Guadeloupe-Hidalgo,  171. 
Treaties  of  peace,  330. 

Trent,  Council  of,  164,  186. 

Tribulation,  patience  in,  86-87. 

Tribunal  of  Penance,  the  priest  in  the, 
42-43. 

Truce  of  God,  331. 

Trusteeism,  19,  33-35,  108-109. 
Trusteeism,  freedom  from  slavery  of, 
108-109. 

Trusteeism,  evils  of,  185. 


Trustees  (1791),  10. 

Trustees,  Holy  Trinity  Church,  Phil¬ 
adelphia,  15. 

Trustees,  pretensions  of,  108. 

Trustees,  parish,  242. 

Truth,  the  unalterableness  of,  29. 

Truth,  misrepresentation  of  Catholic,  78. 
Truth,  love  of,  83. 

Truth,  deposit  of  divine,  231. 

Truth,  and  error,  268. 

Tyler,  Bishop,  170,  180. 

U 

Unbelief,  encouragement  of,  93,  230. 
Unbelief,  commonness  of,  272. 
Unbelievers,  organized  bands  of,  94. 
Unchangeabieness,  of  Catholic  doctrine, 
30. 

Unchangeableness,  of  faith,  67. 
Unification,  of  Church  discipline,  60. 
Unification,  of  Church  discipline  (1854), 
181. 

Uniformity,  of  Church  discipline,  10. 
Uniformity,  of  discipline,  223. 

Union,  Greek  Church,  237. 

Union,  of  the  Churches,  286. 

United  States,  early  Church  in,  6. 

United  States,  division  of  dioceses  in 
(1808),  10. 

United  States,  Patroness  of,  13. 

United  States,  Catholic  discipline  in,  16. 
United  States,  placed  under  patronage 
of  the  Mother  of  God  (1846),  168-169. 
United  States,  Catholic  loyalty  to,  235. 
United  States  government  and  the  Amer¬ 
ican  College  at  Rome,  237. 

United  States,  Church  in,  271. 

Unity  with  Rome,  20;  among  Catholics, 
31-32;  Catholic,  62;  of  the  faith,  129; 
of  the  Church,  174;  mark  of,  203;  of 
faith,  104,  151,  286;  need  of  in  Amer¬ 
ican  life,  325. 

Universities,  Catholic  in  United  States, 
18,  243. 

University,  Catholic,  of  Ireland,  191. 
Unjust  laws,  328. 

Urban  College,  scholarships  in,  113. 
Ursuline,  Convent,  burning  of  by  anti- 
Catholic  mob,  80,  87-89. 

Ursulines,  19. 

Use,  of  wine,  155. 

V 

Vacant  Sees,  nominations  to,  17,  60. 
Vandervelde,  Bishop,  180,  195. 

Vatican  Council,  228. 

Verot,  Bishop,  225. 

Versions,  unauthorized,  of  Holy  Scrip¬ 
ture,  30. 

Vestments,  7. 

Vicariate  of  Alabama-Florida  (1829),  39. 
Vicariate  of  New  Mexico,  171. 

Vicariate  of  Texas,  171. 

Vice,  3,  73. 

Vice,  habits  of,  11. 

Vigilance,  in  priestly  life,  50. 

Vile  publication,  of  Rebecca  Reed,  80. 
Vile  literature,  123. 


358 


Index 


Violence,  of  Charlestown  mob,  89. 
Virginia,  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Roman 
Catholics  of,  1(5. 

Virtue,  habits  of,  3. 

Virtue,  in  children,  4. 

Virtue,  practice  of,  70. 

Visitandines,  19. 

Vocation,  priestly,  dignity  of,  51. 
Vocation,  of  the  Christian,  107. 
Vocations,  to  the  priesthood,  1,  4,  74-75, 
113,  121,  135-136,  189,  217. 

Vocations,  opposition  to,  75. 

Vocations,  interference  with,  217. 
Vocations,  problem  of,  288,  289. 
Vocations,  increase  of,  290. 

Voice,  of  God,  183. 

W 

Wages,  use  of,  255. 

War,  with  Mexico,  162,  171. 

War,  the  Civil,  197. 

Warfare,  betwreen  flesh  and  spirit,  75. 
Washington,  D.  C.,  Apostolic  Delegation 
at,  265. 

Waste  of  time,  69. 

Welfare,  of  our  country,  4. 

Whelan,  Bishop,  160,  169,  195,  224. 
Whitfield,  Archbishop,  17,  38,  59,  60, 
79. 

Will  of  God,  obedience  to,  3. 

Williams,  Bishop,  225. 

Wilson,  President,  and  American  Hi¬ 
erarchy,  265. 

Winds,  of  doctrine,  104,  123. 

Wine,  use  of,  155. 

Wisdom,  70,  151. 


Woman,  influence  of,  316. 

Wood,  Bishop,  225. 

Word,  of  God,  hearing  the,  97. 
Workingmen’s  Societies,  259. 

Works  of  penance,  76. 

World,  allurements  of,  58. 

World,  pleasures  of,  64. 

World,  sophistry  of,  72. 

World,  Christ  and  the,  95-96. 

World  War,  265;  lessons  of,  297-298; 
American  Catholics  in,  295;  object  of 
America’s  entrance  into,  298 ;  results 
of,  299. 

Worldly,  honours,  75. 

Worldly,  ambition,  76. 

Worldly  delusions,  78. 

Worship,  support  of  divine,  9. 

Worship,  beauty  of  Catholic,  278. 

X 

Xystus  IV,  Pope,  177. 

Y 

Young,  education  of  (1837),  115. 

Young,  instruction  of  the,  57-58,  152-153. 
Young,  innocence  of,  57. 

Young  Men’s  Catholic  Association,  220. 
Youth,  Christian  instruction  of,  3. 
Youth,  expense  of  educating,  4. 

Youth,  education  of,  167,  215. 

Z 

Zeal,  priestly,  54-55. 

Zeal,  for  Catholic  education,  282. 
Zwingli,  233. 


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The  Paulist  Press 
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